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THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Hearts  ana  Masks 


I 


HEARTS  AND 

MASKS 


HAROLD  MAC  GRATH 

Author  of  The  Puppet  Crown 
The  GreyCloak  TheMan  on  the  Box 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS     BY- 
HARRISON    FISHER 

Decorat ions  by 
RalphFletcher  Seymour 


Indianapolis 

The  Bobbs  -Merrill  Company 
Pubh'shers 


COPYRIGHT  1905 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

OCTOBER 


75 
n 

K 


70  My  Wife 


1522535 


Hearts  aria  Masks 


I 


IT  all  depends  upon  the  manner  of 
your  entrance  to  the  Castle  of  Ad 
venture.  One  does  not  have  to  scale 
its  beetling  parapets  or  assault  its  scarps 
and  frowning  bastions;  neither  is  one 
obliged  to  force  with  clamor  and  blar 
ing  trumpets  and  glittering  gorgets  the 
drawbridge  and  portcullis.  Rather  the 
pathway  lies  through  one  of  those  many 
little  doors,  obscure,  yet  easily  accessible, 
latchless  and  boltless,  to  which  the  aver 
age  person  gives  no  particular  attention, 
and  yet  which  invariably  lead  to  the  very 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

heart  of  this  Castle  Delectable.  The 
whimsical  chatelaine  of  this  enchanted 
keep  is  a  shy  goddess.  Circumspection 
has  no  part  in  her  affairs,  nor  caution, 
nor  practicality;  nor  does  her  eye  linger 
upon  the  dullard  and  the  blunderer. 
Imagination  solves  the  secret  riddle,  and 
wit  is  the  guide  that  leads  the  seeker 
through  the  winding,  bewildering  laby 
rinths. 

And  there  is  something  in  being  idle, 
too! 

If  I  had  not  gone  idly  into  Mou- 
quin's  cellar  for  dinner  that  night,  I 
should  have  missed  the  most  engaging 
adventure  that  ever  fell  to  my  lot.  It 
is  second  nature  for  me  to  be  guided  by 
impulse  rather  than  by  reason;  reason 
is  always  so  square-toed  and  impulse  is 
always  so  alluring.  You  will  find  that 
nearly  all  the  great  captains  were  and 
2 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

are  creatures  of  impulse;  nothing  bril 
liant  is  ever  achieved  by  calculation. 
All  this  is  not  to  say  that  I  am  a  great 
captain;  it  is  offered  only  to  inform  you 
that  I  am  often  impulsive. 

A  Times,  four  days  old;  and  if  I  hadn't 
fallen  upon  it  to  pass  the  twenty-odd 
minutes  between  my  order  and  the 
service  of  it,  I  shouldn't  have  made 
the  acquaintance  of  the  police  in  that 
pretty  little  suburb  over  in  New  Jersey; 
nor  should  I  have  met  the  enchanting 
Blue  Domino;  nor  would  fate  have 
written  Kismet.  The  clairvoyant  never 
has  any  fun  in  this  cycle;  he  has  no 
surprises. 

I  had  been  away  from  New  York 
for  several  weeks,  and  had  returned  only 
that  afternoon.  Thus,  the  spirit  of  un 
rest  acquired  by  travel  was  still  upon 
me.  It  was  nearing  holiday  week, 

3 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

and  those  congenial  friends  I  might 
have  called  upon,  to  while  away  the 
evening,  were  either  busily  occupied 
with  shopping  or  were  out  of  town; 
and  I  determined  not  to  go  to  the  club 
and  be  bored  by  some  indifferent  bil 
liard  player.  I  would  dine  quietly, 
listen  to  some  light  music,  and  then  go 
to  the  theater.  I  was  searching  the 
theatrical  amusements,  when  the  society 
column  indifferently  attacked  my  eye. 
I  do  not  know  why  it  is,  but  I  have  a 
wholesome  contempt  for  the  so-called 
society  columns  of  the  daily  newspaper 
in  New  York.  Mayhap,  it  is  because  I 
do  not  belong. 

I  read  this  paragraph  with  a  shrug, 
and  that  one  with  a  smirk.  I  was  in 
no  manner  surprised  at  the  announce 
ment  that  Miss  High-Culture  was  go 
ing  to  wed  the  Duke  of  Impecune;  I 

4 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

had  always  been  certain  this  girl  would 
do  some  such  fool  thing.  That  Mrs. 
Hyphen-Bonds  was  giving  a  farewell 
dinner  at  the  Waldorf,  prior  to  her 
departure  to  Europe,  interested  my 
curiosity  not  in  the  least  degree.  It 
would  be  all  the  same  to  me  if  she 
never  came  back.  None  of  the  wishy- 
washy  tittle-tattle  interested  me,  in  fact. 
There  was  only  one  little  six-line 
paragraph  that  really  caught  me.  On 
Friday  night  (that  is  to  say,  the  night 
of  my  adventures  in  Blanks  hire),  the 
Hunt  Club  was  to  give  a  charity 
masquerade  dance.  This  grasped  my 
adventurous  spirit  by  the  throat  and  re 
fused  to  let  go. 

The  atmosphere  surrounding  the 
paragraph  was  spirituous  with  enchant 
ment.  There  was  a  genuine  novelty 
about  this  dance.  Two  packs  of  playing- 

5 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

cards  had  been  sent  out  as  tickets;  one 
pack  to  the  ladies  and  one  to  the  gentle 
men.  Charming  idea,  wasn't  it?  These 
cards  were  to  be  shown  at  the  door, 
together  with  ten  dollars,  but  were  to 
be  retained  by  the  recipients  till  two 
o'clock  (supper-time),  at  which  moment 
everybody  was  to  unmask  and  take  his 
partner,  who  held  the  corresponding 
card,  in  to  supper.  Its  newness  strongly 
appealed  to  me.  I  found  myself  read 
ing  the  paragraph  over  and  over. 

By  Jove,  what  an  inspiration! 

I  knew  the  Blankshire  Hunt  Club, 
with  its  colonial  architecture,  its  great 
ball-room,  its  quaint  fireplaces,  its  stables 
and  sheds,  and  the  fame  of  its  chef.  It 
was  one  of  those  great  country  clubs 
that  keep  open  house  the  year  round. 
It  stood  back  from  the  sea  about  four 
miles  and  was  within  five  miles  of  the 
6 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

village.  There  was  a  fine  course  inland, 
a  cross-country  going  of  not  less  than 
twenty  miles,  a  shooting-box,  and  excel 
lent  golf-links.  In  the  winter  it  was 
cozy;  in  the  summer  it  was  ideal. 

I  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
club's  M.  F.  H.,  Teddy  Hamilton.  We 
had  done  the  Paris- Berlin  run  in  my 
racing-car  the  summer  before.  If  I 
hadn't  known  him  so  well,  I  might  still 
have  been  in  durance  vile,  next  door  to 
jail,  or  securely  inside.  I  had  frequently 
dined  with  him  at  the  club  during  the 
summer,  and  he  had  offered  to  put  me 
up;  but  as  I  knew  no  one  intimately 
but  himself,  I  explained  the  futility  of 
such  action.  Besides,  my  horse  wasn't 
a  hunter;  and  I  was  riding  him  less  and 
less.  It  is  no  pleasure  to  go  "parking" 
along  the  bridle-paths  of  Central  Park. 
For  myself,  I  want  a  hill  country  and 

..7 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

something  like  forty  miles,  straight 
away;  that's  riding. 

The  fact  that  I  knew  no  one  but 
Teddy  added  zest  to  the  inspiration 
which  had  seized  me.  For  I  deter 
mined  to  attend  that  dance,  happen 
what  might.  It  would  be  vastly  more 
entertaining  than  a  possibly  dull  theatri 
cal  performance.  (It  was!) 

I  called  for  a  messenger  and  des 
patched  him  to  the  nearest  drug  store 
for  a  pack  of  playing-cards;  and  while 
I  waited  for  his  return  I  casually  glanced 
at  the  other  diners.  At  my  table — one 
of  those  long  marble-topped  affairs  by 
the  wall — there  was  an  old  man  read 
ing  a  paper,  and  the  handsomest  girl  I 
had  set  eyes  upon  in  a  month  of  moons. 
Sometimes  the  word  handsome  seems 
an  inferior  adjective.  She  was  beauti 
ful,  and  her  half- lidded  eyes  told  me 
8 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

that  she  was  anywhere  but  at  Mou- 
quin's.  What  a  head  of  hair!  Fine  as 
a  spider's  web,  and  the  dazzling  yellow 
of  a  wheat-field  in  a  sun-shower !  The 
irregularity  of  her  features  made  them 
all  the  more  interesting.  I  was  an 
artist  in  an  amateur  way,  and  I  men 
tally  painted  in  that  head  against  a 
Rubens  background.  The  return  of  the 
messenger  brought  me  back  to  earth; 
for  I  confess  that  my  imagination  had 
already  leaped  far  into  the  future,  and 
this  girl  across  the  way  was  nebulously 
connected  with  it. 

I  took  the  pack  of  cards,  ripped  off 
the  covering,  tossed  aside  the  joker 
(though,  really,  I  ought  to  have  retained 
it!)  and  began  shuffling  the  shiny  paste 
boards.  I  dare  say  that  those  around 
me  sat  up  and  took  notice.  It  was  by 
no  means  a  common  sight  to  see  a  man 

9 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

gravely  shuffling  a  pack  of  cards  in  a 
public  restaurant.  Nobody  interfered, 
doubtless  because  nobody  knew  exactly 
what  to  do  in  the  face  of  such  an  act, 
for  which  no  adequate  laws  had  been 
provided.  A  waiter  stood  solemnly  at 
the  end  of  the  table,  scratching  his  chin 
thoughtfully,  wondering  whether  he 
should  report  this  peculiarity  of  consti 
tution  and  susceptibility  occasioning  cer 
tain  peculiarities  of  effect  from  impress 
of  extraneous  influences  (vide  Webster), 
synonymous  with  idiocrasy  and  known 
as  idiosyncrasy.  It  was  quite  possible 
that  I  was  the  first  man  to  establish  such 
a  precedent  in  Monsieur  Mouquin's 
restaurant.  Thus,  I  aroused  only  passive 
curiosity. 

From  the  corner  of  my  eye  I  observed 
the  old  gentleman  opposite.     He  was 
peering  over  the  top  of  his  paper,  and 
10 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

I  could  see  by  the  glitter  in  his  eye 
that  he  was  a  confirmed  player  of  soli 
taire.  The  girl,  however,  still  appeared 
to  be  in  a  dreaming  state.  I  have  no 
doubt  every  one  who  saw  me  thought 
that  anarchy  was  abroad  again,  or  that 
Sherlock  Holmes  had  entered  into  his 
third  incarnation. 

Finally  I  squared  the  pack,  took  a 
long  breath,  and  cut.  I  turned  up  the 
card.  It  was  the  ten-spot  of  hearts.  I 
considered  this  most  propitious,  hearts 
being  my  long  suit  in  everything  but 
love, — love  having  not  yet  crossed  my 
path.  I  put  the  card  in  my  wallet,  and 
was  about  to  toss  the  rest  of  the  pack 
under  the  table,  when  a  woman's  voice 
stayed  my  hand. 

"Don't  throw  them  away.  Tell  my 
fortune  first." 

I  looked  up,  not  a  little  surprised. 
II 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

It  was  the  beautiful  young  girl  who 
had  spoken.  She  was  leaning  on  her 
elbows,  her  chin  propped  in  her  palms, 
and  the  light  in  her  grey  chatoyant  eyes 
was  wholly  innocent  and  mischievous. 
In  Monsieur  Mouquin's  cellar  people 
are  rather  Bohemian,  not  to  say  friendly; 
for  it  is  the  rendezvous  of  artists,  liter 
ary  men  and  journalists, — a  clan  that 
holds  formality  in  contempt. 

"Tell  your  fortune?"  I  repeated 
parrot-like. 

"Yes." 

"Your  mirror  can  tell  you  that  more 
accurately  than  I  can,"  I  replied  with  a 
frank  glance  of  admiration. 

She  drew  her  shoulders  together  and 
dropped  them.  "I  spoke  to  you,  sir, 
because  I  believed  you  wouldn't  say 
anything  so  commonplace  as  that. 
When  one  sees  a  man  soberly  shuffling 

12 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

a  pack  of  cards  in  a  place  like  this,  one 
naturally  expects  originality/* 

"Well,  perhaps  you  caught  me  off 
my  guard," — humbly.  "I  am  original. 
Did  you  ever  before  witness  this  per 
formance  in  a  public  restaurant?" — mak 
ing  the  cards  purr. 

"I  can  not  say  I  have," — amused. 

"Well,  no  more  have  I!" 

"Why,  then,  do  you  do  it?" — with 
renewed  interest. 

"Shall  I  tell  your  fortune?" 

"Not  now.  I  had  much  rather  you 
would  tell  me  the  meaning  of  this  play." 

I  leaned  toward  her  and  whispered 
mysteriously:  "The  truth  is,  I  belong 
to  a  secret  society,  and  I  was  cutting  the 
cards  to  see  whether  or  not  I  should 
blow  up  the  post-office  to-night  or  the 
police-station.  You  mustn't  tell  any 
body." 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"Oh!"  She  started  back  from  the 
table.  "You  do  not  look  it,"  she  added 
suddenly. 

"I  know  it;  appearances  are  so  de 
ceptive,"  said  I  sadly. 

Then  the  old  man  laughed,  and  the 
girl  laughed,  and  I  laughed;  and  I 
wasn't  quite  sure  that  the  grave  waiter 
did  not  crack  the  ghost  of  a  smile — in 
relief. 

"And  what,  may  I  ask,  was  the  fatal 
card?"  inquired  the  old  man,  folding 
his  paper. 

"The  ace  of  spades;  we  always  choose 
that  gloomy  card  in  secret  societies. 
There  is  something  deadly  and  suggest 
ive  about  it,"  I  answered  morbidly. 

"Indeed." 

"Yes.  Ah,  if  only  you  knew  the  ter 
rible  life  we  lead,  we  who  conspire! 
Every  day  brings  forth  some  galling 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

disappointment.  We  push  a  king  off 
into  the  dark,  and  another  rises  immedi 
ately  in  his  place.  Futility,  futility 
everywhere!  If  only  there  were  some 
way  of  dynamiting  habit  and  custom! 
I  am  a  Russian;  all  my  family  are  per 
ishing  in  Siberian  mines," — dismally. 

"Fudge!"  said  the  girl. 

"Tommy-rot!"  said  the  amiable  old 
gentleman. 

"Uncle,  his  hair  is  too  short  for  an 
anarchist." 

"And  his  collar  too  immaculate." 
(So  the  old  gentleman  was  this  charm 
ing  creature's  uncle!) 

"We  are  obliged  to  disguise  ourselves 
at  times,"  I  explained.  "The  police  are 
always  meddling.  It  is  discouraging." 

"You  have  some  purpose,  humorous 
or  serious,"  said  the  girl  shrewdly.  "A 
man  does  not  bring  a  pack  of  cards — " 

15 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"I  didn't  bring  them;  I  sent  out  for 
them." 

" — bring  a  pack  of  cards  here  simply 
to  attract  attention,"  she  continued  tran 
quilly. 

"Perhaps  I  am  a  prestidigitator  in 
a  popular  dime-museum,"  I  suggested, 
willing  to  help  her  out,  "and  am  doing 
a  little  advertising." 

"Now,  that  has  a  plausible  sound," 
she  admitted,  folding  her  hands  under 
her  chin.  "It  must  be  an  interesting 
life.  Presto — change!  and  all  that." 

"Oh,  I  find  it  rather  monotonous  in 
the  winter;  but  in  the  summer  it  is  fine. 
Then  I  wander  about  the  summer  re 
sorts  and  give  exhibitions." 

"You  will  pardon  my  niece,"  inter 
polated  the  old  gentleman,  coughing  a 
bit  nervously.  "If  she  annoys  you — " 

"  Uncle ! " — reproachfully. 
16 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Heaven  forfend!"  I  exclaimed 
eagerly.  "There  is  a  charm  in  doing 
unconventional  things;  and  most  people 
do  not  realize  it,  and  are  stupid." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  the  girl,  smil 
ing.  She  was  evidently  enjoying  herself; 
so  was  I,  for  that  matter.  "Do  a  trick 
for  me,"  she  commanded  presently. 

I  smiled  weakly.  1  couldn't  have 
done  a  trick  with  the  cards, — not  if  my 
life  had  depended  upon  it.  But  I  rather 
neatly  extricated  myself  from  the  trap. 

"I  never  do  any  tricks  out  of  busi 
ness  hours." 

"Uncle,  give  the  gentleman  ten  cents; 
I  want  to  see  him  do  a  sleight-of-hand 
trick." 

Her  uncle,  readily  entering  into  the 
spirit  of  the  affair,  dived  into  a  pocket 
and  produced  the  piece  of  silver.  It 
looked  as  if  I  were  caught. 

'7 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"There!  this  may  make  it  worth  your 
while,"  the  girl  said,  shoving  the  coin 
in  my  direction. 

But  again  I  managed  to  slide  under; 
I  was  not  to  be  caught. 

"It  is  my  regret  to  say," — frowning 
slightly,  "that  regularity  in  my  business 
is  everything.  It  wants  half  an  hour 
for  my  turn  to  come  on.  If  I  tried  a 
trick  out  of  turn,  I  might  foozle  and 
lose  prestige.  And  besides,  I  depend  so 
much  upon  the  professor  and  his  intro 
ductory  notes :  '  Ladies  and  gents,  permit 
me  to  introduce  the  world-renowned 
Signer  Fantoccini,  whose  marvelous 
tricks  have  long  puzzled  all  the  crowned 
heads  of  Europe — '  * 

"Fantoccini," — musingly.  "That's 
Italian  for  puppet  show." 

"I  know  it,  but  the  dime-museum  visit 
ors  do  not.  It  makes  a  fine  impression." 
18 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

She  laughed  and  slid  the  dime  back 
to  her  uncle. 

"Fm  afraid  you  are  an  impostor,"  she 
said. 

"I'm  afraid  so,  too,"  I  confessed, 
laughing. 

Then  the  comedy  came  to  an  end  by 
the  appearance  of  our  separate  orders. 
I  threw  aside  the  cards  and  proceeded 
to  attack  my  dinner,  for  I  was  hungry. 
From  time  to  time  I  caught  vague 
fragments  of  conversation  between  the 
girl  and  her  uncle. 

"It's  a  fool  idea,"  mumbled  the  old 
gentleman;  "you  will  get  into  some 
trouble  or  other." 

"That  doesn't  matter.  It  will  be  like 
a  vacation, — a  flash  of  old  Rome,  where 
I  wish  I  were  at  this  very  moment.  I 
am  determined." 

"This  is  what  comes  of  reading  ro- 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

mantic  novels," — with  a  kind  of  grum 
ble. 

"I  admit  there  never  was  a  particle 
of  romance  on  your  side  of  the  family," 
the  girl  retorted. 

"Happily.  There  is  peace  in  the 
house  where  I  live." 

"Do  not  argue  with  me." 

"I  am  not  arguing  with  you;  I  should 
only  be  wasting  my  time.  I  am  simply 
warning  you  that  you  are  about  to  com 
mit  a  folly." 

"I  have  made  up  my  mind." 

"Ah!  In  that  case  I  have  hopes," 
he  returned.  "When  a  woman  makes 
up  her  mind  to  do  one  thing,  she  gen 
erally  does  another.  Why  can't  you  put 
aside  this  fool  idea  and  go  to  the  opera 
with  me?" 

"I  have  seen  Carmen  in  Paris,  Rome, 
London  and  New  York,"  she  replied. 

20 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

(Evidently  a  traveled  young  per 
son.) 

"Carmen  is  your  favorite  opera,  be 
sides/* 

"Not  to-night," — whimsically. 

"Go,  then;  but  please  recollect  that 
if  anything  serious  comes  of  your  folly, 
I  did  my  best  to  prevent  it.  It's  a 
scatter-brained  idea,  and  no  good  will 
come  of  it,  mark  me/' 

"I  can  take  care  of  myself," — trucu 
lently. 

"So  I  have  often  been  forced  to  ob 
serve," — dryly. 

(I  wondered  what  it  was  all  about.) 

"But,  uncle  dear,  I  am  becoming  so 
dreadfully  bored!" 

"That  sounds  final,"  sighed  the  old 

man,  helping  himself  to  the  haricots  verts. 

(The  girl  ate  positively  nothing.)    "But 

it  seems  odd  that  you  can't  go  about 

21 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

your  affairs  after   my  own  reasonable 
manner." 

"I  am  only  twenty." 

The  old  man's  shoulders  rose  and  fell 
resignedly. 

"No  man  has  an  answer  for  that." 

"I  promise  to  tell  you  everything 
that  happens;  by  telegraph." 

"That's  small  comfort.  Imagine  re 
ceiving  a  telegram  early  in  the  morning, 
when  a  man's  brain  is  without  invention 
or  coherency  of  thought!  I  would  that 
you  were  back  home  with  your  father. 
I  might  sleep  o'  nights,  then." 

"I  have  so  little  amusement!" 

"You  work  three  hours  a  day  and 
earn  more  in  a  week  than  your  father 
and  I  do  in  a  month.  Yours  is  a  very 
unhappy  lot." 

"I  hate  the  smell  of  paints;  I  hate 
the  studio." 

22 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"And  I  suppose  you  hate  your  fame?" 
acridly. 

"Bah!  that  is  my  card  to  a  living. 
The  people  I  meet  bore  me." 

"Not  satisfied  with  common  folks, 
eh?  Must  have  kings  and  queens  to 
talk  to?" 

"I  only  want  to  live  abroad,  and  you 
and  father  will  not  let  me," — petulantly. 

The  music  started  up,  and  I  heard  no 
more.  Occasionally  the  girl  glanced  at 
me  and  smiled  in  a  friendly  fashion. 
She  was  evidently  an  artist's  model;  and 
when  they  have  hair  and  color  like  this 
girl's,  the  pay  is  good.  I  found  myself 
wondering  why  she  was  bored  and  why 
Carmen  had  so  suddenly  lost  its  charms. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  when  I  pushed 
aside  my  plate  and  paid  my  check.  I 
calculated  that  by  hustling  I  could 
reach  Blankshire  either  at  ten  or  ten- 

23 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

thirty.  That  would  be  early  enough 
for  my  needs.  And  now  to  rout  out  a 
costumer.  All  I  needed  was  a  grey 
mask.  I  had  in  my  apartments  a 
Capuchin's  robe  and  cowl.  I  rose, 
lighting  a  cigarette. 

The  girl  looked  up  from  her  coffee. 

"Back  to  the  dime-museum?" — ban- 
teringly. 

"I  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare," 
said  I. 

"By  the  way,   I   forgot  to  ask  you 
what  card  you  drew." 

"It  was  the  ten  of  hearts." 

"The  ten  of  hearts?"     Her  amaze 
ment  was  not  understandable. 

"Yes,  the  ten  of  hearts;   Cupid  and 
all  that." 

She  recovered  her  composure  quickly. 

"Then  you  will  not  blow  up  the 
post-office  to-night?" 
24 


Hearts  aritv  Masks 

"No,"  I  replied,  "not  to-night." 

"You  have  really  and  truly  aroused 
my  curiosity.  Tell  me,  what  does  the 
ten  of  hearts  mean  to  you?" 

I  gazed  thoughtfully  down  at  her. 
Had  I  truly  mystified  her?  There  was 
some  doubt  in  my  mind. 

"Frankly,  I  wish  I  might  tell  you. 
All  I  am  at  liberty  to  say  is  that  I  am 
about  to  set  forth  upon  a  desperate  ad 
venture,  and  I  shall  be  very  fortunate 
if  I  do  not  spend  the  night  in  the 
lock-up." 

"You  do  not  look  desperate." 

"Oh,  I  am  not  desperate;  it  is  only 
the  adventure  that  is  desperate." 

"Some  princess  in  durance  vile? 
Some  villain  to  smite?  Citadels  to 
storm?"  Her  smile  was  enchantment 
itself. 

I  hesitated  a  moment.   "What  would 

25 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

you  say  if  I  told  you  that  this  adventure 
was  merely  to  prove  to  myself  what  a 
consummate  ass  the  average  man  can  be 
upon  occasions?" 

"Why  go  to  the  trouble  of  proving 
it?"— drolly. 

"I  am  conceited  enough  to  have 
some  doubts  as  to  the  degree." 

"Consider  it  positive." 

I  laughed.  "I  am  in  hopes  that  I  am 
neither  a  positive  ass  nor  a  superlative 
one,  only  comparative." 

"But  the  adventure;  that  is  the  thing 
that  mainly  interests  me." 

"Oh,  that  is  a  secret  which  I  should 
hesitate  to  tell  even  to  the  Sphinx." 

"I  see  you  are  determined  not  to 
illuminate  the  darkness," — and  she 
turned  carelessly  toward  her  uncle,  who 
was  serenely  contemplating  the  glowing 
end  of  a  fat  perfecto. 
26 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

I  bowed  and  passed  out  into  Sixth 
Avenue,  rather  regretting  that  I  had  not 
the  pleasure  of  the  charming  young 
person's  acquaintance. 

The  ten-spot  of  hearts  seemed  to  have 
startled  her  for  some  reason.  I  won 
dered  why. 

The  snow  blew  about  me,  whirled, 
and  swirled,  and  stung.  Oddly  enough 
I  recalled  the  paragraph  relative  to 
Mrs.  Hyphen-Bonds.  By  this  time  she 
was  being  very  well  tossed  about  in  mid- 
ocean.  As  the  old  order  of  yarn-spinners 
used  to  say,  little  did  I  dream  what  was 
in  store  for  me,  or  the  influence  the 
magic  name  of  Hyphen-Bonds  was  to 
have  upon  my  destiny. 

Bismillah!    (Whatever  that  means!) 


27 


II 


A  PER  half  an  hour's  wandering 
about  I  stumbled  across  a  curio- 
shop,  a  weird,  dim  and  dusty, 
musty  old  curio-shop,  with  stuffed  pea 
cocks  hanging  from  the  ceiling,  and 
skulls,  and  bronzes  and  marbles,  paint 
ings,  tarnished  jewelry  and  ancient 
armor,  rare  books  in  vellum,  small  arms, 
tapestry,  pastimes,  plaster  masks,  and 
musical  instruments.     I  recalled  to 
mind    the    shop    of  the  dealer  in  an 
tiquities  in  Balzac's  La  Peau  de  Chagrin, 
and  glanced  about  (not  without  a  shiver) 
28 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

for  the  fatal  ass's  skin.  (I  forgot  that 
I  was  wearing  it  myself  that  night ! )  I 
was  something  of  a  collector  of  antiqui 
ties,  of  the  inanimate  kind,  and  for  a 
time  I  became  lost  in  speculation, — 
speculation  rather  agreeable  of  its  kind. 
I  liked  to  conjure  up  in  fancy  the  various 
scenes  through  which  these  curiosities 
had  drifted  in  their  descent  to  this  demi- 
pawnshop;  the  brave  men  and  beautiful 
women,  the  clangor  of  tocsins,  the  haze 
of  battles,  the  glitter  of  ball-rooms, 
epochs  and  ages.  What  romance  lay 
behind  yon  satin  slipper?  What  grande 
dame  had  smiled  behind  that  ivory  fan? 
What  meant  that  tarnished  silver  mask? 
The  old  French  proprietor  was  evi 
dently  all  things  from  a  pawnbroker  to 
an  art  collector;  for  most  of  the  jewelry 
was  in  excellent  order  and  the  pictures 
possessed  value  far  beyond  the  intrinsic. 
29 


•Hearts   ana  Masks 

He  was  waiting  upon  a  customer,  and 
the  dingy  light  that  shone  down  on  his 
bald  bumpy  head  made  it  look  for  all 
the  world  like  an  ill-used  billiard-ball. 
He  was  exhibiting  revolvers. 

From  the  shining  metal  of  the  small 
arms,  my  glance  traveled  to  the  face  of 
the  prospective  buyer.  It  was  an  in 
teresting  face,  clean-cut,  beardless,  ener 
getic,  but  the  mouth  impressed  me  as 
being  rather  hard.  Doubtless  he  felt  the 
magnetism  of  my  scrutiny,  for  he  sud 
denly  looked  around.  The  expression 
on  his  face  was  not  one  to  induce  me  to 
throw  my  arms  around  his  neck  and 
declare  I  should  be  glad  to  make  his 
acquaintance.  It  was  a  scowl.  He  was 
in  evening  dress,  and  I  could  see  that  he 
knew  very  well  how  to  wear  it.  All 
this  was  but  momentary.  He  took  up  a 
revolver  and  balanced  it  on  his  palm. 

3° 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

By  and  by  the  proprietor  came 
sidling  along  behind  the  cases,  the  slip- 
slip  fashion  of  his  approach  informing 
me  that  he  wore  slippers. 

"Do  you  keep  costumes?"  I  asked. 

"Anything  you  like,  sir,  from  a  cru 
sader  to  a  modern  gentleman," — with 
grim  and  appropriate  irony.  "What  is 
it  you  are  in  search  of — a  masquerade 
costume?" 

"Only  a  grey  mask,"  I  answered. 
"I  am  going  to  a  masked  ball  to-night 
as  a  Grey  Capuchin,  and  I  want  a  mask 
that  will  match  my  robe." 

"Your  wants  are  simple." 

From  a  shelf  he  brought  down  a  box, 
took  off  the  cover,  and  left  me  to  make 
my  selection.  Soon  I  found  what  I 
desired  and  laid  it  aside,  waiting  for 
Monsieur  Friard  to  return.  Again  I 
observed  the  other  customer.  There  is 

31 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

always  a  mystery  to  be  solved  and  a 
story  to  be  told,  when  a  man  makes  the 
purchase  of  a  pistol  in  a  pawnshop.  A 
man  who  buys  a  pistol  for  the  sake  of 
protection  does  so  in  the  light  of  day, 
and  in  the  proper  place,  a  gun-shop. 
He  does  not  haunt  the  pawnbroker  in 
the  dusk  of  evening.  Well,  it  was  none 
of  my  business;  doubtless  he  knew  what 
he  was  doing.  I  coughed  suggestively, 
and  Friard  came  slipping  in  my  direc 
tion  again. 

"This  is  what  I  want.    How  much?" 
I  inquired. 

"Fifty  cents;  it  has  never  been  worn." 
I  drew  out  my  wallet.  I  had  arrived 
in  town  too  late  to  go  to  the  bank,  and 
I  was  carrying  an  uncomfortably  large 
sum  in  gold-bills.  As  I  opened  the 
wallet  to  extract  a  small  bill,  I  saw  the 
stranger  eying  me  quietly.  Well,  well, 

32 


-4-, 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

the  dullest  being  brightens  at  the  sight 
of  money  and  its  representatives.  I  drew 
out  a  small  bill  and  handed  it  to  the 
proprietor.  He  took  it,  together  with 
the  mask,  and  sidled  over  to  the  cash- 
register.  The  bell  gave  forth  a  muffled 
sound,  not  unlike  that  of  a  fire-bell  in 
a  snow-storm.  As  he  was  in  the  act  of 
wrapping  up  my  purchase,  I  observed 
the  silent  customer's  approach.  When 
he  reached  my  side  he  stooped  and 
picked  up  something  from  the  floor. 
With  a  bow  he  presented  it  to  me. 

"I  saw  it  drop  from  your  pocket," 
he  said;  and  then  when  he  saw  what  it 
was,  his  jaw  fell,  and  he  sent  me  a  hot, 
penetrating  glance. 

"The  ten  of  hearts!"  he  exclaimed 
in  amazement. 

I  laughed  easily. 

"The   ten  of  hearts!"   he   repeated. 

33 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Yes;  four  hearts  on  one  side  and 
four  on  the  other,  and  two  in  the  mid 
dle,  which  make  ten  in  all," — raillery 
in  my  tones.  What  the  deuce  'was  the 
matter  with  everybody  to-night?  "  Mar 
velous  card,  isn't  it?" 

"Very  strange!"  he  murmured,  pull 
ing  at  his  lips. 

"And  in  what  way  is  it  strange?"  I 
asked,  rather  curious  to  learn  the  cause 
of  his  agitation. 

"There  are  several  reasons," — briefly. 

"Ah!" 

"I  have  seen  a  man's  hand  pinned  to 
that  card;  therefore  it  is  gruesome." 

"Some  card-sharper?" 

He  nodded.  "Then  again,  I  lost  a 
small  fortune  because  of  that  card," — 
diffidently. 

"Poker?" 

"Yes.    Why  will  a  man  try  to  fill  a 

34 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

royal  flush?  The  man  next  to  me  drew 
.  the  ten  of  hearts,  the  very  card  I  needed. 
The  sight  of  it  always  unnerves  me.  I 
beg  your  pardon." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  I,  wonder 
ing  how  many  more  lies  he  had  up  his 
sleeve. 

"And  there's  still  another  reason.  I 
saw  a  man  put  six  bullets  into  the  two 
central  spots,  and  an  hour  later  the 
seventh  bullet  snuffed  the  candle  of  a 
friend  of  mine.  I  am  from  the  West." 

"I  can  sympathize  with  you,"  I  re 
turned.  "After  all  that  trouble,  the 
sight  of  the  card  must  have  given  you 
a  shock." 

Then  I  stowed  away  the  fatal  card  and 
took  up  my  bundle  and  change.  I  have 
in  my  own  time  tried  to  fill  royal  flushes, 
and  the  disappointment  still  lingers  with 
a  bitter  taste. 

35 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"The  element  of  chance  is  the  most 
fascinating  thing  there  is,"  the  stranger 
from  the  West  volunteered. 

"So  it  is,"  I  replied,  suddenly  recall 
ing  that  I  was  soon  to  put  my  trust  in 
the  hands  of  that  very  fickle  goddess. 

He  nodded  and  returned  to  his  re 
volvers,  while  I  went  out  of  the  shop, 
hailed  a  cab,  and  drove  up-town  to  my 
apartments  in  Riverside.  It  was  eight 
o'clock  by  my  watch.  I  leaned  back 
against  the  cushions,  ruminating.  There 
seemed  to  be  something  going  on  that 
night;  the  ten  of  hearts  was  acquiring 
a  mystifying,  not  to  say  sinister,  aspect. 
First  it  had  alarmed  the  girl  in  Mou- 
quin's,  and  now  this  stranger  in  the 
curio-shop.  I  was  confident  that  the 
latter  had  lied  in  regard  to  his  explana 
tions.  The  card  had  startled  him,  but 
his  reasons  were  altogether  of  transpar- 

36 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

ent  thinness.  A  man  never  likes  to 
confess  that  he  is  unlucky  at  cards; 
there  is  a  certain  pride  in  lying  about 
the  enormous  stakes  you  have  won  and 
the  wonderful  draws  you  have  made. 
I  frowned.  It  was  not  possible  for  me 
to  figure  out  what  his  interest  in  the 
card  was.  If  he  was  a  Westerner,  his 
buying  a  pistol  in  a  pawnshop  was 
at  once  disrobed  of  its  mystery;  but  the 
inconsistent  elegance  of  his  evening 
clothes  doubled  my  suspicions.  Bah! 
What  was  the  use  of  troubling  myself 
with  this  stranger's  affairs?  He  would 
never  cross  my  path  again. 

In  reasonable  time  the  cab  drew  up 
in  front  of  my  apartments.  I  dressed, 
donned  my  Capuchin's  robe  and  took  a 
look  at  myself  in  the  pier-glass.  Then 
I  unwrapped  the  package  and  put  on 
the  mask.  The  whole  made  a  capital 

37 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

outfit,  and  I  was  vastly  pleased  with  my 
self.  This  was  going  to  be  such  an 
adventure  as  one  reads  about  in  the 
ancient  numbers  of  Blackwood's.  I 
slipped  the  robe  and  mask  into  my  suit 
case  and  lighted  my  pipe.  During  great 
moments  like  this,  a  man  gathers  cour 
age  and  confidence  from  a  pipeful  of 
tobacco.  I  dropped  into  a  comfortable 
Morris,  touched  the  gas-logs,  and  fell 
into  a  pleasant  dream.  It  was  not  neces 
sary  for  me  to  start  for  the  Twenty- 
third  Street  ferry  till  nine;  so  I  had 
something  like  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  to  idle  away.  .  .  .  What  beautiful 
hair  that  girl  had!  It  was  like  sunshine, 
the  silk  of  corn,  the  yield  of  the  harvest. 
And  the  marvelous  abundance  of  it!  It 
was  true  that  she  was  an  artist's  model; 
it  was  equally  true  that  she  had  com 
mitted  a  mild  impropriety  in  addressing 

38 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

me  as  she  had;  but,  for  all  I  could  see, 
she  was  a  girl  of  delicate  breeding, 
doubtless  one  of  the  many  whose  fam 
ily  fortunes,  or  misfortunes,  forced 
them  to  earn  a  living.  And  it  is  no 
disgrace  these  days  to  pose  as  an  artist's 
model.  The  classic  oils,  nowadays,  call 
only  for  exquisite  creations  in  gowns 
and  hats;  mythology  was  exhausted  by 
the  old  masters.  Rome,  Paris,  London; 
possibly  a  bohemian  existence  in  these 
cities  accounted  for  her  ease  in  striking 
up  a  conversation,  harmless  enough, 
with  a  total  stranger.  In  Paris  and  Rome 
it  was  all  very  well;  but  it  is  a  risky 
thing  to  do  in  unromantic  New  York 
and  London.  However,  her  uncle  had 
been  with  her;  a  veritable  fortress,  had 
I  overstepped  the  bounds  of  politeness. 
The  smoke  wavered  and  rolled  about 
me.  I  took  out  the  ten  of  hearts  and 

39 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

studied  it  musingly.  After  all,  should 
I  go?  Would  it  be  wise?  I  confess  I 
saw  goblins'  heads  peering  from  the 
spots,  and  old  Poe  stories  returned  to 
me.  Pshaw!  It  was  only  a  frolic,  no 
serious  harm  could  possibly  come  of  it. 
I  would  certainly  go,  now  I  had  gone 
thus  far.  What  fool  idea  the  girl  was 
bent  on  I  hadn't  the  least  idea;  but  I 
easily  recognized  the  folly  upon  which 
I  was  about  to  set  sail.  Heigh-ho! 
What  was  a  lonely  young  bachelor  to 
do?  At  the  most,  they  could  only  ask 
me  to  vacate  the  premises,  should  I  be 
so  unfortunate  as  to  be  discovered.  In 
that  event,  Teddy  Hamilton  would 
come  to  my  assistance.  .  .  .  She  was 
really  beautiful!  And  then  I  awoke  to 
the  alarming  fact  that  the  girl  in  Mou- 
quin's  was  interesting  me  more  than  I 
liked  to  confess. 

40 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

Presently,  through  the  haze  of  smoke, 
I  saw  a  patch  of  white  paper  on  the 
rug  in  front  of  the  pier-glass.  I  rose 
and  picked  it  up. 


NAME        Hawthorne 

COSTUME       Blue  Domino 
TTMK          5*°  P-   M' 

RETURNED 

ADDRESS     West  87^  Street 
FRIARD'S 


I  stared  at  the  bit  of  pasteboard,  fas 
cinated.  How  the  deuce  had  this  got 
into  my  apartments?  A  Blue  Domino? 
Ha!  I  had  it!  Old  Friard  had  acci 
dentally  done  up  the  ticket  with  my 
mask.  A  Blue  Domino;  evidently  I 
wasn't  the  only  person  who  was  going 


to  a  masquerade.  Without  doubt  this 
fair  demoiselle  was  about  to  join  the 
festivities  of  some  shop-girls'  masquer 
ade,  where  money  and  pedigree  are  in 
consequent  things,  and  where  every 
body  is  either  a  "loidy"  or  a  "gent." 
Persons  who  went  to  my  kind  of  mas 
querade  did  not  rent  their  costumes; 
they  laid  out  extravagant  sums  to  the 
fashionable  modiste  and  tailor,  and  had 
them  made  to  order.  A  Blue  Domino: 
humph! 

It  was  too  late  to  take  the  ticket  back 
to  Friard's;  so  I  determined  to  mail  it 
to  him  in  the  morning. 

It  was  now  high  time  for  me  to  be 
off.  I  got  into  my  coat  and  took  down 
my  opera  hat.  Outside  the  storm  was 
still  active;  but  the  snow  had  a  promis 
ing  softness,  and  there  were  patches  of 
stars  to  be  seen  here  and  there  in  the 

42 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

sky.  By  midnight  there  would  be  a 
full  moon.  I  got  to  Jersey  City  with 
out  mishap;  and  when  I  took  my  seat 
in  the  smoker,  I  found  I  had  ten  min 
utes  to  spare.  I  bought  a  newspaper 
and  settled  down  to  read  the  day's  news. 
It  was  fully  half  an  hour  between  Jersey 
City  and  Blankshire;  in  that  time  I 
could  begin  and  finish  the  paper. 

There  never  was  a  newspaper  those 
days  that  hadn't  a  war-map  in  some  one 
of  its  columns;  and  when  I  had  digested 
the  latest  phases  of  the  war  in  the  far 
East,  I  quite  naturally  turned  to  the 
sporting-page  to  learn  what  was  going 
on  among  the  other  professional  fighters. 
(Have  I  mentioned  to  you  the  fact  that 
I  was  all  through  the  Spanish  War,  the 
mix-up  in  China,  and  that  I  had  re 
signed  my  commission  to  accept  the 
post  of  traveling  salesman  for  a  famous 

43 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

motor-car  company?  If  I  have  not, 
pardon  me.  You  will  now  readily  ac 
cept  my  recklessness  of  spirit  as  a  matter 
of  course.)  I  turned  over  another  page; 
from  this  I  learned  that  the  fair  sex 
was  going  back  to  puff-sleeves  again. 
Many  an  old  sleeve  was  going  to  be 
turned  upside  down. 

Fudge!  The  train  was  rattling 
through  the  yards.  Another  page 
crackled.  Ha!  Here  was  that  unknown 
gentleman -thief  again,  up  to  his  old 
tricks.  It  is  remarkable  how  difficult 
it  is  to  catch  a  thief  who  has  good  looks 
and  shrewd  brains.  I  had  already  written 
him  down  as  a  quasi-swell.  For  months 
the  police  had  been  finding  clues,  but 
they  had  never  laid  eyes  on  the  rascal. 
The  famous  Haggerty  of  the  New  York 
detective  force, — a  man  whom  not  a 
dozen  New  York  policemen  knew  by 

44 


sight  and  no  criminals  save  those  behind 
bars,  earthly  and  eternal, — was  now  giv 
ing  his  whole  attention  to  the  affair. 
Some  gaily-dressed  lady  at  a  ball  would 
suddenly  find  she  had  lost  some  valuable 
gems;  and  that  would  be  the  end  of  the 
affair,  for  none  ever  recovered  her  gems. 
The  gentleman-thief  was  still  at  large, 
and  had  gathered  to  his  account  a  com 
fortable  fortune;  that  is,  if  he  were  not 
already  rich  and  simply  a  kleptomaniac. 
No  doubt  he  owned  one  of  my  racing- 
cars,  and  was  clear  of  the  delinquent 
lists  at  his  clubs.  I  dismissed  all  thought 
of  him,  threw  aside  the  paper,  and  men 
tally  figured  out  my  commissions  on 
sales  during  the  past  month.  It  was  a 
handsome  figure,  large  enough  for  two. 
This  pastime,  too,  soon  failed  to  interest 
me.  I  gazed  out  of  the  window  and 
watched  the  dark  shapes  as  they  sped  past. 

45 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

I  saw  the  girl's  face  from  time  to 
time.  What  a  fool  I  had  been  not  to 
ask  her  name!  She  could  easily  have 
refused,  and  yet  as  easily  have  granted 
the  request.  At  any  rate,  I  had  per 
mitted  the  chance  to  slip  out  of  my 
reach,  which  was  exceedingly  careless 
on  my  part.  Perhaps  they — she  and 
her  uncle — frequently  dined  at  Mou- 
quin's;  I  determined  to  haunt  the  place 
and  learn.  It  would  be  easy  enough  to 
address  her  the  next  time  we  met.  Be 
sides,  she  would  be  curious  to  know  all 
about  the  ten  of  hearts  and  the  desper 
ate  adventure  upon  which  I  told  her  I 
was  about  to  embark.  Many  a  fine 
friendship  has  grown  out  of  smaller 
things. 

Next,  turning  from  the  window,  I 
fell  to  examining  my  fellow  passengers, 
in  the  hope  of  seeing  some  one  I  knew. 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

Conversation  on  trains  makes  short 
journeys.  ...  I  sat  up  stiffly  in  my  seat. 
Diagonally  across  the  aisle  sat  the  very 
chap  I  had  met  in  the  curio-shop!  He 
was  quietly  reading  a  popular  magazine, 
and  occasionally  a  smile  lightened  his 
sardonic  mouth.  Funny  that  I  should 
run  across  him  twice  in  the  same  even 
ing!  Men  who  are  contemplating 
suicide  never  smile  in  that  fashion.  He 
was  smoking  a  small,  well-colored 
meerschaum  pipe  with  evident  relish. 
Somehow,  when  a  man  clenches  his 
teeth  upon  the  mouthpiece  of  a  respect 
able  pipe,  it  seems  impossible  to  associ 
ate  that  man  with  crime.  But  the  fact 
that  I  had  seen  him  selecting  a  pistol 
in  a  pawnshop  rather  neutralized  the 
good  opinion  I  was  willing  to  form.  I 
have  already  expressed  my  views  upon 
the  subject.  The  sight  of  him  rather 

47 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

worried  me,  though  I  could  not  reason 
why.  Whither  was  he  bound?  Had  he 
finally  taken  one  of  Friard's  pistols?  For 
a  moment  I  was  on  the  point  of  speak 
ing  to  him,  if  only  to  hear  him  tell 
more  lies  about  the  ten  of  hearts,  but  I 
wisely  put  aside  the  temptation.  Be 
sides,  it  might  be  possible  that  he  would 
not  be  glad  to  see  me.  I  always  avoid 
the  chance  acquaintance,  unless,  of 
course,  the  said  chance  acquaintance  is 
met  under  favorable  circumstances — 
like  the  girl  in  Mouquin's,  for  instance ! 
After  all,  it  was  only  an  incident;  and, 
but  for  his  picking  up  that  card,  I  never 
should  have  remembered  him. 

Behind  him  sat  a  fellow  with  a 
countenance  as  red  and  round  and  com 
placent  as  an  English  butler's, — red  hair 
and  small  twinkling  eyes.  Once  he 
leaned  over  and  spoke  to  my  chance  ac- 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

quaintance,  who,  without  turning  his 
head,  thrust  a  match  over  his  shoulder. 
The  man  with  the  face  of  a  butler  lighted 
the  most  villainous  pipe  I  ever  beheld. 
I  wondered  if  they  knew  each  other. 
But,  closely  as  I  watched,  I  saw  no  sign 
from  either.  I  turned  my  collar  up  and 
snuggled  down.  There  was  no  need  of 
his  seeing  me. 

Then  my  thoughts  reverted  to  the  ten 
of  hearts  again.  My  ten  of  hearts !  The 
wrinkle  of  a  chill  ran  up  and  down  my 
spine !  My  ten  of  hearts ! 

Hastily  I  took  out  the  card  and  ex 
amined  the  back  of  it.  It  was  an 
uncommonly  handsome  back,  represent 
ing  Diana,  the  moon,  and  the  midnight 
sky.  A  horrible  supposition  came  to 
me:  supposing  they  looked  at  the  back 
as  well  as  at  the  face  of  the  card?  And 
again,  supposing  I  was  miles  away  from 

49 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

the  requisite  color  and  design?  I  was 
staggered.  Here  was  a  pretty  fix!  I 
had  never  even  dreamed  of  such  a  con 
tingency.  Hang  it!  I  now  wished  I 
had  stuck  to  my  original  plan,  and  gone 
to  the  theater.  Decidedly  I  was  in  for  it; 
there  was  no  backing  down  at  this  late 
hour,  unless  I  took  the  return  train  for 
Jersey  City;  and  I  possessed  too  much 
stubbornness  to  surrender  to  any  such 
weakness.  Either  I  should  pass  the 
door-committee,  or  I  shouldn't;  of  one 
thing  I  was  certain — 

" Blankshire ! "  bawled  the  trainman; 
then  the  train  slowed  down  and  finally 
came  to  a  stop. 

No  turning  back  for  me  now.  I 
picked  up  my  suit-case  and  got  out.  On 
the  platform  I  saw  the  curio-shop  fel 
low  again.  Tramping  on  ahead,  the 
smell  from  his  villainous  pipe  assailing 

5° 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

my  nostrils,  was  the  man  who  had  asked 
for  a  match.  The  former  stood  unde 
cided  for  a  moment,  and  during  this 
space  of  time  he  caught  sight  of  me. 
He  became  erect,  gave  me  a  sudden 
sardonic  laugh,  and  swiftly  disappeared 
into  the  dark.  All  this  was  uncom 
monly  disquieting ;  in  vain  I  stared  into 
the  blackness  that  had  swallowed  him. 
What  could  he  be  doing  here  at  Blank- 
shire?  I  didn't  like  his  laugh  at  all; 
there  was  at  once  a  menace  and  a  chal 
lenge  in  it. 

"Any  baggage,  sir?"  asked  one  of  the 
station  hands. 

"No."  But  I  asked  him  to  direct  me 
to  a  hotel.  He  did  so. 

I  made  my  way  down  the  street. 
The  wind  had  veered  around  and  was 
coming  in  from  the  sea,  pure  and  cold. 
The  storm-clouds  were  broken  and 


Hearts   aritv  Masks 

scudding  like  dark  ships,  and  at  times 
there  were  flashes  of  radiant  moonshine. 

The  fashionable  hotel  was  full.  So 
I  plodded  through  the  drifts  to  the 
unfashionable  hotel.  Here  I  found  ac 
commodation.  I  dressed,  sometimes 
laughing,  sometimes  whistling,  some 
times  standing  motionless  in  doubt. 
Bah !  It  was  only  a  lark.  ...  I  thought 
of  the  girl  in  Mouquin's;  how  much 
better  it  would  have  been  to  spend  the 
evening  with  her,  exchanging  badinage, 
and  looking  into  each  other's  eyes! 
Pshaw!  I  covered  my  face  with  the 
grey  mask  and  descended  to  the  street. 

The  trolley  ran  within  two  miles  of 
the  Hunt  Club.  The  car  was  crowded 
with  masqueraders,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  I  started  out  I  felt  comfort 
able.  Everybody  laughed  and  talked, 
though  nobody  knew  who  his  neighbor 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

was.  I  sat  in  a  corner,  silent  and  mo 
tionless  as  a  sphinx.  Once  a  pair  of 
blue  slippers  attracted  my  eye,  and 
again  the  flash  of  a  lovely  arm.  At  the 
end  of  the  trolley  line  was  a  carryall 
which  was  to  convey  us  to  the  club. 
We  got  into  the  conveyance,  noisily  and 
good-humoredly.  The  exclamations  of 
the  women  were  amusing. 

"Good  gracious!" 

"Isn't  it  fun!" 

"Lovely!"  And  all  that.  It  must 
have  been  a  novelty  for  some  of  these 
to  act  naturally  for  once.  Nothing  lasts 
so  long  as  the  natural  instinct  for  play ; 
and  we  always  find  ourselves  coming 
back  to  it. 

Standing  some  hundred  yards  back 
from  the  road  was  the  famous  Holly 
wood  Inn,  run  by  the  genial  Moriarty. 
Sometimes  the  members  of  the  Hunt 

53 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

Club  put  up  there  for  the  night  when 
there  was  to  be  a  run  the  following 
morning.  It  was  open  all  the  year 
round. 

We  made  the  club  at  exactly  ten- 
thirty.  Fortune  went  with  me;  doubt 
less  it  was  the  crowd  going  in  that  saved 
me  from  close  scrutiny.  My  spirits  rose 
as  I  espied  Teddy  Hamilton  at  the  door, 
He  was  on  the  committee,  and  was  in 
plain  evening  clothes.  It  was  good  to 
see  a  familiar  face.  I  shouldered  toward 
him  and  passed  out  my  ten  dollars. 

"Hello,  Teddy,  my  son!"  I  cried  out 
jovially. 

"  Hello ! " — grinning.  Teddy  thought 
it  was  some  one  he  knew;  well,  so  it 
was.  "What's  your  card?"  he  cried,  as 
I  pressed  by  him. 

"The  ten  of  hearts." 

"The  ten  of  hearts,"  repeated  Teddy 

54 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

to  a  man  who  was  keeping  tally  on  a 
big  cardboard. 

This  sight  did  not  reassure  me.  If 
they  were  keeping  tally  of  all  the  cards 
presented  at  the  door,  they  would  soon 
find  out  that  there  were  too  many  tens 
of  hearts,  too  many  by  one!  Well,  at 
any  rate,  I  had  for  the  time  being  escaped 
detection;  now  for  the  fun.  It  would 
be  sport-royal  while  it  lasted.  What  a 
tale  to  give  out  at  the  club  of  a  Sunday 
night!  I  chuckled  on  the  way  to  the 
ball-room.  I  had  dispensed  with  going 
up  to  the  dressing-room.  My  robe  was 
a  genuine  one,  heavy  and  warm;  so  I 
had  no  overcoat  to  check. 

"Grave  monk,  your  blessing!" 

Turning,  I  beheld  an  exquisite  Col 
umbine. 

"Pax  voiriscum!"  I  replied  solemnly. 

"Pax  .  .  .     What  does  that  mean?" 

55 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"It  means,  do  not  believe  all  you  see 
in  the  newspapers/' 

Columbine  laughed  gaily.  "I  did  not 
know  that  you  were  a  Latin  scholar; 
and  besides,  you  gave  me  to  understand 
you  were  coming  as  a  Jesuit,  Billy." 

Billy?  Here  was  one  who  thought 
she  knew  me.  I  hastened  to  disillusion 
her. 

"My  dear  Columbine,  you  do  not 
know  me,  not  the  least  bit.  My  name 
is  not  Billy,  it  is  Dicky." 

"Oh,  you  can  not  fool  me,"  she  re 
turned.  "I  heard  you  call  out  to  Teddy 
Hamilton  that  your  card  was  the  ten  of 
hearts;  and  you  wrote  me,  saying  that 
would  be  your  card." 

Complications  already,  and  I  hadn't 
yet  put  a  foot  inside  the  ball-room! 

"I  am  sorry,"  I  said,  "but  you  have 
made  a  mistake.  Your  Jesuit  probably 

56 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

told  you  his  card  would  be  the  nine,  not 
the  ten/' 

"I  will  wager — " 

"Hush!  This  is  a  charity  dance;  no 
one  makes  wagers  at  such  affairs." 

"But —  Why,  my  goodness!  there's 
my  Jesuit  now!"  And  to  my  intense 
relief  she  dashed  away. 

I  carefully  observed  the  Jesuit,  and 
made  up  my  mind  to  keep  an  eye  upon 
him.  If  he  really  possessed  the  ten  of 
hearts,  the  man  who  kept  tally  on  the 
cardboard  was  doing  some  tall  thinking 
about  this  time.  I  glided  away,  into 
the  gorgeous  ball-room. 

What  a  vision  greeted  my  eye!  The 
decorations  were  in  red  and  yellow,  and 
it  seemed  as  though  perpetual  autumnal 
sunset  lay  over  everything.  At  the  far 
end  of  the  room  was  a  small  stage  hid 
den  behind  palms  and  giant  ferns.  The 

57 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

band  was  just  striking  up  A  Summer 
Night  in  Munich,  and  a  wonderful  kalei 
doscope  revolved  around  me.  I  saw 
Cavaliers  and  Roundheads,  Puritans  and 
Beelzebubs,  Musketeers,  fools,  cow 
boys,  Indians,  kings  and  princes ;  queens 
and  empresses,,  fairies  and  Quaker 
maids,  white  and  black  and  red  and 
green  dominoes.  Tom  Fool's  night, 
indeed! 

Presently  I  saw  the  noble  Doge  of 
Venice  coming  my  way.  From  his 
portly  carriage  I  reasoned  that  if  he 
wasn't  in  the  gold-book  of  Venice  he 
stood  very  well  up  in  the  gold-book  of 
New  York.  He  stopped  at  my  side  and 
struck  an  attitude. 

"Pax  vobzscumf"  said  I,  bowing. 

"Be  at  the  Inquisition  Chamber,  di 
rectly  the  clock  strikes  the  midnight 
hour,"  he  said  mysteriously. 

58 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"I  shall  be  there  to  deliver  the  su 
preme  interrogation,"  I  replied. 

"It  is  well."  He  drifted  away  like  a 
stately  ship. 

Delightful  foolery!  I  saw  the  Jesuit, 
and  moved  toward  him. 

"Disciple  of  Loyola,  hast  thou  the 
ten  of  hearts?" 

"My  hearts  number  nine,  for  I  have 
lost  one  to  the  gay  Columbine." 

"I  breathe!  Thou  art  not  he  whom 
I  seek."  We  separated.  I  was  mortally 
glad  that  Columbine  had  made  a  mis 
take. 

The  women  always  seek  the  monk  at 
a  masquerade;  they  want  absolution  for 
the  follies  they  are  about  to  commit. 
A  demure  Quakeress  touched  my  sleeve 
in  passing. 

"Tell  me,  grave  monk,  why  did  you 
seek  the  monastery?" 

59 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"My  wife  fell  in  love  with  me," — 
gloomily. 

"Then  you  have  a  skeleton  in  the 
clothes-press?" 

"Do  I  look  like  a  man  who  owned 
such  a  thing  as  a  clothes-press,  much 
less  so  fashionable  a  thing  as  a  family 
skeleton?" 

"Then  what  do  you  here?" 

"I  am  mingling  with  fools  as  a  pen 
ance." 

A  fool  caught  me  by  the  sleeve  and 
batted  me  gaily  over  the  head  with  a 
bladder. 

"Merry  come  up,  why  am  I  a  fool?" 

"It  is  the  fashion,"  was  my  answer. 
This  was  like  to  gain  me  the  reputa 
tion  of  being  a  wit.  I  must  walk  care 
fully,  or  these  thoughtless  ones  would 
begin  to  suspect  there  was  an  impostor 
among  them. 

60 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Aha!"  There  was  mine  ancient 
friend  Julius.  "Hail  Caesar!" 

He  stopped. 

"Shall  I  beware  the  Ides  of  March?" 
I  asked  jovially. 

"Nay,  my  good  Cassius;  rather  be 
ware  of  the  ten  of  hearts,"  said  Caesar 
in  hollow  tones,  and  was  gone. 

The  ten  of  hearts  again!  Hang  the 
card !  And  then  with  a  sigh  of  relief  I 
recollected  that  in  all  probability  he, 
like  Columbine,  had  heard  me  call  out 
the  card  to  Hamilton.  Still,  the  popu 
larity  of  the  card  was  very  disquieting. 
I  wished  it  had  been  seven  or  five; 
there's  luck  in  odd  numbers.  ...  A 
Blue  Domino!  My  heart  leaped,  and 
I  thought  of  the  little  ticket  in  my 
waistcoat  pocket.  A  Blue  Domino!  If, 
by  chance,  there  should  be  a  connectior 
between  her  and  the  ticket! 

61 


She  was  sitting  all  alone  in  a  corner 
near-by,  partly  screened  by  a  pot  of 
orange-trees.  I  crossed  over  and  sat 
down  by  her  side.  This  might  prove 
an  adventure  worth  while. 

"What  a  beautiful  night  it  is!"  I  said. 

She  turned,  and  I  caught  sight  of  a 
wisp  of  golden  hair. 

"That  is  very  original,"  said  she. 
"Who  in  the  world  would  have  thought 
of  passing  comments  on  the  weather  at 
a  masque!  Prior  to  this  moment  the 
men  have  been  calling  me  all  sorts  of 
sentimental  names.*' 

"Oh,  I  am  coming  to  that.  I  am 
even  going  to  make  love  to  you." 

She  folded  her  hands, — rather  resign 
edly,  I  thought, — and  the  rollicking 
comedy  began. 


62 


Ill 

WHEN  they  give  you  a  mask 
at  a  ball  they  also  give  you 
the  key  to  all  manner  of  folly 
and  impudence.  Even  stupid  persons 
become  witty,  and  the  witty  become 
correspondingly  daring.  For  all  I  knew, 
the  Blue  Domino  at  my  side  might  be 
Jones'  wife,  or  Brown's,  or  Smith's,  or 
even  Green's;  but  so  long  as  I  was  not 
certain,  it  mattered  not  in  what  direc 
tion  my  whimsical  fancy  took  me.  (It 
is  true  that  ordinarily  Jones  and  Brown 
and  Smith  and  Green  do  not  receive 

63 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

invitations  to  attend  masquerades  at 
fashionable  hunt  clubs;  but  somehow 
they  seem  to  worry  along  without  these 
equivocal  honors,  and  prosper.  Still, 
there  are  persons  in  the  swim  named 
Johnes  and  Smythe  and  Browne  and 
Greene.  Pardon  this  parenthesis!) 

As  I  recollected  the  manner  in  which 
I  had  self-invited  the  pleasure  of  my 
company  to  this  carnival  at  the  Blank- 
shire  Hunt  Club,  I  smiled  behind  my 
mask.  Nerves!  I  ought  to  have  been 
a  professor  of  clinics  instead  of  an  auto 
mobile  agent.  But  the  whole  affair 
appealed  to  me  so  strongly  I  could  not 
resist  it.  I  was  drawn  into  the  tangle 
by  the  very  fascination  of  the  scheme. 
I  was  an  interloper,  but  nobody  knew 
it.  The  ten  of  hearts  in  my  pocket  did 
not  match  the  backs  of  those  cards  regu 
larly  issued.  But  what  of  that  ?  Every 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

one  was  ignorant  of  the  fact.  I  was  safe 
inside ;  and  all  that  was  romantic  in  my 
system  was  aroused.  There  are  always 
some  guests  who  can  not  avail  them 
selves  of  their  invitations;  and  upon 
this  vague  chance  I  had  staked  my  play. 
Besides,  I  was  determined  to  disappear 
before  the  hour  of  unmasking.  I  wasn't 
going  to  take  any  unnecessary  risks.  I 
was,  then,  fairly  secure  under  my  Ca 
puchin's  robe. 

Out  of  my  mind  slipped  the  previouo 
adventures  of  the  evening.  I  forgot, 
temporarily,  the  beautiful  unknown  at 
Mouquin's.  I  forgot  the  sardonic-lipped 
stranger  I  had  met  in  Friard's.  I  forgot 
everything  save  the  little  ticket  that  had 
accidentally  slipped  into  my  package, 
and  which  announced  that  some  one 
had  rented  a  blue  domino. 

And  here  was  a  Blue  Domino  at  my 

65 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

side,  just  simply  dying  to  have  me  talk 
to  her! 

"I  am  madly  in  love  with  you/'  I 
began.  "I  have  followed  you  often;  I 
have  seen  you  in  your  box  at  the  opera ; 
I  have  seen  you  whirl  up  Fifth  Avenue 
in  your  fine  barouche;  and  here  at  last 
I  meet  you ! "  I  clasped  my  hands  pas 
sionately. 

"My  beautiful  barouche!  My  box 
at  the  opera!"  the  girl  mimicked. 
"What  a  cheerful  Ananias  you  are!" 

"Thou  art  the  most  enchanting 
creature  in  all  the  universe.  Thou  art 
even  as  a  turquoise,  a  patch  of  radiant 
summer  sky,  eyes  of  sapphire,  lips — " 

"Archaic,  very  archaic,"  she  inter 
rupted. 

"Disillusioned  in  ten  seconds!"  I  cried 
dismally.  "How  could  you?" 

She  laughed. 

66 


Hearts   aria-  Masks 

"Have  you  no  romance?  Can  you 
not  see  the  fitness  of  things  ?  If  you  have 
not  a  box  at  the  opera,  you  ought  at  least 
to  make  believe  you  have.  History 
walks  about  us,  and  you  call  the  old 
style  archaic!  That  hurts!" 

"Methinks,  Sir  Monk—" 

"There!  That's  more  like  it.  By 
my  halidom,  that's  the  style!" 

"Odds  bodkins,  you  don't  tell  me!" 
There  was  a  second  ripple  of  laughter 
from  behind  the  mask.  It  was  rare 
music. 

"I  could  fall  in  love  with  you!" 

"There  once  was  a  Frenchman  who 
said  that  as  nothing  is  impossible,  let  us 
believe  in  the  absurd.  I  might  be  old 
enough  to  be  your  grandmother," — 
lightly. 

"Perish  the  thought!" 

"Perish  it,  indeed!" 
67 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"The  mask  is  the  thing!"  I  cried  en 
thusiastically.  "You  can  make  love  to 
another  man's  wife — " 

"Or  to  your  own,  and  nobody  is  the 
wiser/' — cynically. 

"We  are  getting  on." 

"Yes,  we  are  getting  on,  both  in  yean 
and  in  folly.  What  are  you  doing  in  a 
monk's  robe?  Where  is  your  motley, 
gay  fool?" 

"I  have  laid  it  aside  for  the  night. 
On  such  occasions  as  this,  fools  dress  as 
wise  men,  and  wise  men  as  fools;  every 
body  goes  about  in  disguise." 

"How  would  you  go  about  to  pick 
out  the  fools?" — curiously. 

"Beginning  with  myself — " 

"Thy  name  is  also  Candor!" 

"Look  at  yonder  Cavalier.  He  wab 
bles  like  a  ship  in  distress,  in  the  wild 
effort  to  keep  his  feet  untangled  from 
68 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

his  rapier.  I'll  wager  he's  a  wealthy 
plumber  on  week-days.  Observe  Anne 
of  Austria!  What  arms!  I'll  lay  odds 
that  her  great-grandmother  took  in 
washing.  There's  Romeo,  now,  with 
a  pair  of  legs  like  an  old  apple  tree. 
The  freedom  of  criticism  is  mine  to 
night!  Did  you  ever  see  such  ridicu 
lous  ideas  of  costume?  For  my  part, 
the  robe  and  the  domino  for  me.  All 
lines  are  destroyed;  nothing  is  recogniz 
able.  My,  my!  There's  Harlequin, 
too,  walking  on  parentheses." 

The  Blue  Domino  laughed  again. 

"You  talk  as  if  you  had  no  friends 
here," — shrewdly. 

"But  which  is  my  friend  and  which 
is  the  man  to  whom  I  owe  money?" 

"What!     Is  your  tailor  here  then?" 

"Heaven  forbid!  Strange,  isn't  it, 
when  a  fellow  starts  in  to  pay  up  his 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

bills,  that  the  tailor  and  the  undertaker 
have  to  wait  till  the  last." 

"The  subject  is  outside  my  under 
standing." 

"But  you  have  dressmakers." 

"I  seldom  pay  dressmakers." 

"Ah!  Then  you  belong  to  the  most 
exclusive  set!" 

"Or  perhaps  I  make  my  own 
dresses — " 

"Sh!  Not  so  loud.  Supposing  some 
one  should  overhear  you?" 

"It  was  a  slip  of  the  tongue.  And 
yet,  you  should  be  lenient  to  all." 

"Kind  heart!  Ah,  I  wonder  what 
all  those  interrogation  points  mean — 
the  black  domino  there?" 

"Possibly  she  represents  Scandal." 

"Scandal,  then,  is  symbolized  by  the 
interrogation  point?" 

"Yes.  Whoever  heard  of  scandal 
70 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

coming  to  a  full  stop,  that  is  to  say,  a 
period." 

"I  learn  something  every  minute.     A 
hundred  years  ago  you  would  have  been 
a  cousin  to  Mademoiselle  de  Necker." 
"Or  Madame  de  Stael." 
"Oh,  if  you  are  married — " 
"I  shall  have  ceased  to  interest  you?" 
"On  the  contrary.      Only,  marriage 
would  account  for  the  bitterness  of  your 
tone.     What  does  the  Blue  Domino 
represent?" 

"The  needle  of  the  compass."  She 
stretched  a  sleeve  out  toward  me  and  I 
observed  for  the  first  time  the  miniature 
compasses  woven  in  the  cloth.  Surely, 
one  does  not  rent  a  costume  like  this. 
"  I  understand  now  why  you  attracted 
me.  Whither  will  you  guide  me?" — 
sentimentally. 

"Through  dark  channels  and  stormy 

71 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

seas,  over  tropic  waters,  'into  the  haven 
under  the  hill'." 

"Oh,  if  you  go  to  quoting  Tenny 
son,  it's  all  up  with  me.  Are  you 
married?" 

"One  can  easily  see  that  at  any  rate 
you  are  not." 

"Explain." 

"Your  voice  lacks  the  proper  and 
requisite  anxiety.  It  is  always  the 
married  woman  who  enjoys  the  mask 
with  thoroughness.  She  knows  her 
husband  will  be  watching  her;  and  jeal 
ousy  is  a  good  sign." 

"You  are  a  philosopher.  Certainly 
you  must  be  married." 

"Well,  one  does  become  philosophi 
cal — after  marriage." 

"But  are  you  married?" 

"I  do  not  say  so." 

"Would  you  like  to  be?" 
72 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"I  have  my  share  of  feminine  curi 
osity.  But  I  wonder," —ruminating, 
"why  they  do  not  give  masquerades 
oftener." 

"That  is  easily  explained.  Most  of 
us  live  masquerades  day  by  day,  and 
there  might  be  too  much  of  a  good 
thing." 

"That  is  a  bit  of  philosophy  that 
goes  well  with  your  robe.  Indeed, 
what  better  mask  is  there  than  the  hu 
man  countenance?" 

"If  we  become  serious,  we  shall  put 
folly  out  of  joint,"  said  I,  rising.  "And 
besides,  we  shall  miss  the  best  part  of 
this  dance." 

She  did  not  hesitate  an  instant.  I 
led  her  to  the  floor,  and  we  joined  the 
dancers.  She  was  as  light  as  a  feather, 
a  leaf,  the  down  of  the  thistle;  mysteri 
ous  as  the  Cumasan  Sibyl;  and  I  won- 

73 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

dered  who  she  might  be.  The  hand 
that  lay  on  my  sleeve  was  as  white 
as  milk,  and  the  filbert-shaped  horn  of 
the  finger-tips  was  the  tint  of  rose  leaves. 
Was  she  connected  with  the  ticket  in 
my  pocket?  I  tried  to  look  into  her 
eyes,  but  in  vain;  nothing  could  I  see 
but  that  wisp  of  golden  hair  which  oc 
casionally  brushed  my  chin  as  with  a 
surreptitious  caress.  If  only  I  dared  re 
main  till  the  unmasking!  I  pressed  her 
hand.  There  was  an  answering  pressure, 
but  its  tenderness  was  destroyed  by  the 
low  laughter  that  accompanied  it. 

"Don't  be  silly!"  she  whispered. 

"How  can  I  help  it?" 

"True;  I  forgot  you  were  a  fool  in 
disguise." 

"What  has  Romance  done  to  you 
that  you  should  turn  on  her  with  the 
stuffed-club,  Practicality?" 

74 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"She  has  never  paid  any  particular 
attention  to  me;  perhaps  that  is  the 
reason." 

As  we  neared  a  corner  I  saw  the 
Honorable  Julius  again.  He  stretched 
forth  his  death's-head  mask. 

"Beware  the  ten  of  hearts!"  he 
croaked. 

Hang  his  impudence!  .  .  .  The  Blue 
Domino  turned  her  head  with  a  jerk; 
and  instantly  I  felt  a  shiver  run  through 
her  body.  For  a  moment  she  lost  step. 
I  was  filled  with  wonder.  In  what  man 
ner  could  the  ten  of  hearts  disturb  her? 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  seek  out  the 
noble  Roman  and  learn  just  how  much 
he  knew  about  that  disquieting  card. 

The  music  ceased. 

"Now,  run  away  with  your  benedic 
tions,"  said  the  Blue  Domino  breath 
lessly. 

75 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Shall  I  see  you  again?" — eagerly. 

"If  you  seek  diligently."  She  paused 
for  a  moment,  like  a  bird  about  to  take 
flight.  "Positive,  fool;  comparative, 
fooler;  superlative,  foolest!" 

And  I  was  left  standing  alone:  What 
the  deuce  did  she  mean  by  that? 

After  all,  there  might  be  any  number 
of  blue  dominoes  in  the  land;  and  it 
seemed  scarcely  credible  that  a  guest  at 
the  Hunt  Club  would  go  to  a  costumer's 
for  an  outfit.  (I  had  gone  to  a  costum 
er's,  but  my  case  was  altogether  different. 
I  was  an  impostor.)  I  hunted  up  Imper- 
ator  Rex.  It  was  not  long  ere  we  came 
face  to  face,  or,  to  speak  correctly,  mask 
to  mask. 

"What  do  you  know  about  the  ten 
of  hearts?"  I  began  with  directness. 

"I  am  a  shade;  all  things  are  known 
to  me." 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"You  may  be  a  lamp-shade,  for  all 
I  care.  What  do  you  know  about  the 
ten  of  hearts?" 

"Beware  of  it," — hollowly.  From 
under  his  toga  he  produced  a  ten  of 
hearts ! 

My  knees  wabbled,  and  there  was  a 
sense  of  looseness  about  my  collar.  The 
fellow  knew  I  was  an  impostor.  Why 
didn't  he  denounce  me? 

"  Is  the  back  of  your  card  anything 
like  this  one?" — ironically.  "I  dare  say 
it  isn't.  But  have  your  good  time,  grave 
monk;  doubtless  you  are  willing  that 
the  fiddlers  shall  be  paid."  And  wrap 
ping  his  toga  about  him  majestically,  he 
stalked  away,  leaving  me  staring  dum- 
foundedly  after  his  receding  form. 

Discovered! 

The  deuce!  Had  I  been  attired  like 
yon  Romeo,  I  certainly  should  have 

77 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

taken  to  my  heels;  but  a  fellow  can  not 
run  in  a  Capuchin's  gown,  and  retain 
any  dignity.  I  would  much  rather  be 
arrested  than  laughed  at.  I  stood  irreso 
lute.  What  was  to  be  done?  How 
much  did  he  know?  Did  he  know  who 
I  was?  And  what  was  his  object  in  let 
ting  me  run  my  course?  I  was  all  at 
sea  ....  Hang  the  grisly  old  Roman ! 
I  shut  my  teeth;  I  would  see  the  comedy 
to  its  end,  no  matter  what  befell.  If 
worst  came  to  worst,  there  was  always 
Teddy  Hamilton  to  fall  back  on. 

I  made  off  toward  the  smoking-room, 
rumbling  imprecations  against  the  gods 
for  having  given  me  the  idea  of  attend 
ing  this  masquerade,  when  it  would 
have  been  cheaper  and  far  more  com 
fortable  to  go  to  the  theater. 

But  as  soon  as  I  entered  the  smoking- 
room,  I  laughed.  It  was  a  droll  scene. 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

Here  we  were,  all  of  us,  trying  savagely 
to  smoke  a  cigar  or  cigarette  through 
the  flabby  aperture  designated  in  a 
mask  as  the  mouth.  It  was  a  hopeless 
job;  for  myself,  I  gave  it  up  in  disgust. 

Nobody  dared  talk  naturally  for  fear 
of  being  identified.  When  a  man  did 
open  his  mouth  it  was  only  to  commit 
some  banal  idiocy,  for  which,  during 
office  hours,  he  would  have  been  haled  to 
the  nearest  insane  asylum  and  labeled  in 
curable.  Added  to  this  was  a  heat  match 
ing  Sahara's  and  the  oppressive  odor  of 
weltering  paint. 

By  Jove!  Only  one  man  knew 
that  the  back  of  my  card  was  unlike  the 
others:  the  man  who  had  picked  it  up 
in  old  Friard's  curio-shop,  the  man  who 
had  come  to  Blankshire  with  me!  I 
knew  now.  He  had  been  there  buying 
a  costume  like  myself.  He  had  seen  me 

79 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

on  the  train,  and  had  guessed  the  secret. 
I  elbowed  my  way  out  of  the  smoking- 
room.  It  wouldn't  do  me  a  bit  of  harm 
to  ask  a  few  polite  questions  of  Mr. 
Caesar  of  the  sardonic  laugh. 

But  I  had  lost  the  golden  opportunity. 
Caesar  had  gone  to  join  the  shades  of 
other  noble  Romans;  in  vain  I  searched 
high  and  low  for  him.  Once  I  ran 
into  Hamilton.  His  face  was  pale  and 
disturbed  and  anxious. 

"What's  the  trouble,  Hamilton?"  I 
asked,  with  forced  gaiety. 

He  favored  me  with  a  penetrating 
glance. 

"The  very  devil  is  the  trouble,"  he 
growled.  "Several  of  the  ladies  have 
begun  to  miss  valuable  jewels.  Anne  of 
Austria  has  lost  her  necklace  and  Queen 
Elizabeth  is  without  a  priceless  comb; 
altogether,  about  ten  thousand  dollars." 
80 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Robbery?"   I  looked  at  him  aghast. 

"That's  the  word.  Curse  the  luck! 
There  is  always  something  of  this  sort 
happening  to  spoil  the  fun.  But  who 
ever  has  the  jewels  will  not  get  away 
with  them." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"I  have  already  sent  for  the  village 
police.  Now  I  shall  lock  all  the  doors 
and  make  every  man  and  woman  pro 
duce  cards  for  identification," — abruptly 
leaving  me. 

Thunderbolts  out  of  heaven!  My 
knees  and  collar  bothered  me  again;  the 
first  attack  was  trifling  compared  to  this 
second  seizure.  How  the  devil  was  I 
to  get  out? 

"Are  you  searching  for  me?"  inquired 
a  soft  voice  at  my  elbow. 

I  turned  instantly.  The  Blue  Domino 
had  come  back  to  me. 
81 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"I  have  been  searching  for  you 
everywhere,"  I  said  gallantly. 

"Oh!  but  that  is  a  black  one.  Never 
mind;  the  fib  was  well  meant." 

I  led  her  over  to  a  secluded  nook, 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  door  which 
gave  entrance  to  the  club  cellars.  This 
door  I  had  been  bearing  in  mind  for 
some  time.  It  is  well  to  know  your 
topography.  The  door  was  at  the  left 
of  the  band  platform.  There  was  a 
twin-door  on  the  other  side.  We  sat 
down. 

"Have  you  heard  the  news?"  I  asked. 

"No.  Has  some  one  been  discovered 
making  love  to  his  own  wife  by  mis 
take?" 

"It's  serious.  Anne  of  Austria  and 
Queen  Elizabeth  have  been  robbed  of 
some  jewels." 

"A  thief  among  us?" 
82 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"A  regular  Galloping  Dick.  I'm  a 
thief  myself,  for  that  matter/' 

"You?"  she  drew  away  from  me  a 
bit. 

"Yes.   My  name  is  Procrastination." 

"Ah,  my  grave  Capuchin,  we  do  not 
steal  time;  we  merely  waste  it.  But  is 
what  you  tell  me  true?" 

"I  am  very  sorry  to  say  it  is.  The 
jewels  were  worth  something  like  ten 
thousand  dollars." 

"Merciful  heavens!" 

"It  is  true, infernally  true," — looking 
around  to  see  if  by  chance  Cassar 
had  reappeared  on  the  scene.  (How 
was  I  to  manage  my  escape?  It  is  true 
I  might  hie  me  to  the  cellars;  but  how 
to  get  out  of  the  cellars!)  "Have  you 
seen  Julius  Cassar?"  I  asked. 

"Cssar?" 

"Yes,  Miss  Hawthorne — '' 

83 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

The  Blue  Domino  swung  about  and 
leaned  toward  me,  her  hands  tense  upon 
the  sides  of  her  chair. 

"What  name  did  you  say?" — a 
strained  note  in  her  voice. 

"Hawthorne,"  I  answered,  taking 
out  the  slip  of  pasteboard.  "See!  it 
says  that  one  blue  domino  was  rented 
of  Monsieur  Friard  at  five -thirty  this 
afternoon." 

"How  did  you  come  by  that  ticket?" 
she  demanded. 

"It  was  a  miracle.  I  purchased  a 
mask  there,  and  this  ticket  was  wrapped 
up  in  my  bundle  by  mistake." 

"It  is  a  curious  coincidence," — her 
voice  normal  and  unagitated. 

I  was  confused.  "Then  I  am  mis 
taken?" —  my  chagrin  evident.  (All 
this  while,  mind  you,  I  was  wondering 
if  that  cellar- door  was  unlocked,  and 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

how  long  it  would  take  me  to  reach  it 
before  the  denouement ! ) 

"One  way  or  the  other,  it  does  not 
matter,"  said  she. 

"Yet,  if  I  could  reach  the  cellars," 
— absently.  Then  I  bit  my  tongue. 

"Cellars?  Who  said  anything  about 
cellars?  I  meant  that  this  is  not  the 
hour  for  unmasking  or  disclosing  one's 
identity," — coldly. 

"And  yet,  when  Caesar  whispered 
*  Beware  the  ten  of  hearts/  you  turned 
and  shuddered.  What  have  you  to  offer 
in  defense?" 

"It  was  the  horrid  mask  he  wore." 

"Well,  it  wasn't  handsome  of  him." 

"What  did  you  mean  by  cellars?" — 
suddenly  becoming  the  inquisitor  in  her 
turn. 

"I?  Oh,  I  was  thinking  what  I  should 
do  in  case  of  fire," — nimbly. 

85 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"That  is  not  the  truth/' 

"Well,  no,  it  isn't.  Can  you  keep  a 
secret?"  I  whispered. 

"If  it  isn't  a  terrible  one." 

"Well,  I  have  no  earthly  business 
here.  I  am  an  impostor." 

"An  impostor!" 

"Yes.  And  for  the  past  few  minutes, 
since  I  heard  of  the  robbery,  I've  been 
thinking  how  I  could  get  out  of  here 
upon  the  slightest  notice."  While  the 
reckless  spirit  was  upon  me,  I  produced 
the  fatal  card  and  showed  the  back  to 
her.  "You  will  find  that  yours  is  of  a 
different  color.  But  /  am  not  the 
Galloping  Dick;  it  was  only  a  hare 
brained  lark  on  my  part,  and  I  had  no 
idea  it  would  turn  out  serious  like  this. 
I  was  going  to  disappear  before  they 
unmasked.  What  would  you  advise  me 
to  do?" 

86 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

She  took  the  card,  studied  it,  and 
finally  returned  it.  There  followed  an 
interval  of  silence. 

"I  have  known  the  imposition  from 
the  first,"  she  said. 

"What!" 

She  touched  the  signet -ring  on  my 
little  finger.  "I  have  seen  that  once 
before  to-night.  No,"  she  mused,  "you 
will  not  blow  up  the  post-office  to-night, 
nor  the  police-station." 

She  lifted  the  corner  of  her  mask,  and 
I  beheld  the  girl  I  had  met  in  Mou- 
quin's! 

"You?" 

"Silence!  So  this  is  the  meaning  of 
your  shuffling  those  cards?  Oh,  it  is  cer 
tainly  droll!"  She  laughed. 

"And  are  you  Miss  Hawthorne?" 

"I  am  still  in  the  mask,  sir;  I  shall 
answer  none  of  your  questions." 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"This  is  the  finest  romance  in  the 
world!"  I  cried. 

"You  were  talking  about  getting 
out,"  she  said.  "Shall  I  lend  you  my 
domino?  But  that  would  be  useless. 
Such  a  prestidigitator  as  Sign  or  Fan 
toccini  has  only  to  say — Presto!  and 
disappear  at  once." 

"I  assure  you,  it  is  no  laughing  mat 
ter." 

"I  see  it  from  a  different  angle." 

An  artist's  model,  and  yet  a  guest  at 
this  exclusive  function? 

A  commotion  around  the  stage  dis 
tracted  us.  Presently  we  saw  Teddy 
Hamilton  mount  the  stage  and  hold  up 
his  hands. 

"Attention,  ladies  and  gentlemen!" 
he  called. 

Silence  gradually  fell  upon  the  motley 
groups  of  masqueraders. 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"A  thief  is  among  us.  I  have  had  all 
the  exits  closed.  Everybody  will  be  so 
kind  as  to  present  cards  at  the  main 
entrance.  Three  ten-spots  of  hearts 
have  been  tallied  on  the  comparing 
lists.  We  have  been  imposed  upon. 
The  police  are  on  the  way.  Very  sorry 
to  cause  you  this  annoyance.  The 
identity  of  the  holders  of  the  cards  will 
be  known  only  to  those  of  us  on  the 
committee." 

Silence  and  then  a  murmur  which 
soon  became  a  buzzing  like  that  of 
many  bees. 

The  Blue  Domino  suddenly  clutched 
my  arm. 

"Please  take  me  away,  take  me  away 
at  once!  I'm  an  impostor,  too! " 

Two  of  us! 

This  was  disaster.  I  give  you  my 
solemn  word,  there  was  nothing  1 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

regretted  so  much  as  the  fact  that  I 
hadn't  gone  to  the  theater. 

But  I  am  a  man  of  quick  thought 
and  resource.  In  the  inelegant  phras 
ing  of  the  day,  me  for  the  cellars ! 

"Come/'  said  I  to  the  girl;  "there's 
only  one  chance  in  a  hundred,  but  we'll 
take  it  together." 

"Together?    Where?" 

"Why,  to  the  cellars.  I've  a  pocket 
ful  of  matches.  We  can  make  a  try. 
For,  if  there's  a  thief  around,  and 
we  are  caught  and  proved  impostors — 
Well,  I  leave  you  to  imagine!" 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  she  replied 
resolutely. 

The  gods  were  with  us.  The  door 
leading  to  the  cellars  was  not  locked. 
I  opened  it,  passed  the  girl  before  me, 
and  closed  the  door. 

"I  am  frightened!"  she  whispered. 
90 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"So  am  I,"  I  offered,  to  reassure  her. 
"You  are  not  afraid  of  rats,  are  you?" 

"No-o!" 

"Bully!"  I  cried.    Then  I  laughed. 

"How  can  you  laugh?  It  is  horri 
ble!"  she  protested. 

"You  would  come,  though  I  heard 
your  uncle  warn  you.  Look  at  it  the 
way  I  do.  It's  a  huge  joke,  and  years 
from  now  you'll  have  great  fun  telling 
it  to  your  grandchildren." 

"I  wish,  at  this  moment,  I  could  see 
so  far  ahead — What  was  that?" — 
seizing  my  arm. 

Click! 

Somebody  had  locked  the  door  behind 
us! 


I 


91 


IV 

IN  other  words,  we  had  departed  the 
scene  of  festivities  none  too  soon.   I 
could  readily  understand  why  the 
door  had  been  locked:   it  was  not  to 
keep  us  in  the  cellars;  rather  it  was  to 
prevent  any  one  from  leaving  the  ball 
room  by   that   route.    Evidently  our 
absence  had  not  been  noticed,  nor  had 
any  seen  our  precipitate  flight.   I  sighed 
gratefully. 

For  several  minutes  we  stood  silent 
and  motionless  on  the  landing.     At 
length  I  boldly  struck  a  match.    The 
92 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

first  thing  that  greeted  my  blinded  gaze 
was  the  welcome  vision  of  a  little  shelf 
lined  with  steward's  candles.  One  of 
these  I  lighted,  and  two  others  I  stuffed 
into  the  pocket  of  my  Capuchin's  gown. 
Then  we  tiptoed  softly  down  the  stairs, 
the  girl  tugging  fearfully  at  my  sleeve. 

There  was  an  earthy  smell.  It  was 
damp  and  cold.  Miles  and  miles  away 
(so  it  seemed)  the  pale  moonshine  fil 
tered  through  a  cobwebbed  window.  It 
ivas  ghostly;  but  so  far  as  I  was  con 
cerned,  I  was  honestly  enjoying  myself, 
strange  as  this  statement  may  seem. 
Here  was  I,  setting  forth  upon  an  adven 
ture  with  the  handsomest,  wittiest  girl 
I  had  ever  laid  eyes  upon.  If  I  extri 
cated  her  neatly,  she  would  always  be  in 
my  debt;  and  the  thought  of  this  was 
mighty  pleasant  to  contemplate. 

"Do  you  know  the  way  out?" 

93 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

I  confessed  that,  so  far  as  I  knew,  we 
were  in  one  of  the  fabled  labyrinths  of 
mythology. 

"Go  ahead,"  she  said  bravely. 

"I  ask  only  to  die  in  your  Highness* 
service," — soberly. 

"But  I  do  not  want  you  to  die;  I 
want  you  to  get  me  out  of  this  cellar; 
and  quickly,  too." 

"I'll  live  or  die  in  the  attempt!" 

"I  see  nothing  funny  in  our  pre 
dicament," — icily. 

"A  few  moments  ago  you  said  that 
our  angles  of  vision  were  not  the  same; 
I  begin  to  believe  it.  As  for  me,  I 
think  it's  simply  immense  to  find  my 
self  in  the  same  boat  with  you." 

"I  wish  you  had  been  an  anarchist, 
or  a  performer  in  a  dime-museum." 

"You  might  now  be  alone  here.  But, 
pardon  me;  surely  you  do  not  lack  the 

94 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

full  allotment  of  the  adventurous  spirit! 
It  was  all  amusing  enough  to  come 
here  under  false  pretenses." 

"But  I  had  not  reckoned  on  any  one's 
losing  jewels." 

"No  more  had  I." 

"Proceed.  I  have  the  courage  to 
trust  to  your  guidance." 

"I  would  that  it  might  be  always!" 
—with  a  burst  of  sentiment  that  was 
not  wholly  feigned. 

"Let  us  be  on," — imperatively.  "I 
shall  not  only  catch  my  death  of  cold, 
but  I  shall  be  horribly  compromised." 

"My  dear  young  lady,  on  the  word 
of  a  gentleman,  I  will  do  the  best  I  can 
to  get  you  out  of  this  cellar.  If  I  have 
jested  a  little,  it  was  only  in  the  effort 
to  give  you  courage;  for  I  haven't  the 
slightest  idea  how  we  are  going  to  get 
out  of  this  dismal  hole." 

95 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

We  went  on.  We  couldn't  see  half 
a  dozen  feet  in  front  of  us.  The  gloom 
beyond  the  dozen  feet  was  Stygian 
and  menacing.  And  the  great  grim 
shadows  that  crept  behind  us  as  we 
proceeded!  Once  the  girl  stumbled  and 
fell  against  me. 

"What's  the  matter?"  I  asked, startled. 

"I  stepped  on  something  that — that 
moved! ' ' — plaintively. 

"Possibly  it  was  a  potato;  there's  a 
bin  of  them  over  there.  Where  the 
deuce  are  we?" 

"If  you  swear,  I  shall  certainly 
scream!"  she  warned. 

"But  I  can  swear  in  the  most  elegant 
and  approved  fashion." 

"I  am  not  inclined  to  have  you 
demonstrate  your  talents." 

"Aha!  Here  is  the  coal-bin.  Perhaps 
the  window  may  be  open.  If  so,  we 


are  saved.  Will  you  hold  the  candle  for 
a  moment?" 

Have  you  ever  witnessed  a  cat  foot 
ing  it  across  the  snow?  If  you  have, 
picture  me  imitating  her.  Cautiously  I 
took  one  step,  then  another;  and  then 
that  mountain  of  coal  turned  into  a 
roaring  treadmill.  Sssssh!  Rrrrr!  In  a 
moment  I  was  buried  to  the  knees  and 
nearly  suffocated.  I  became  angry.  I 
would  reach  that  window — 

"  Hush !  Hush !  The  noise,  the  noise ! " 
whispered  the  girl,  waving  the  candle 
frantically. 

But  I  was  determined.  Again  I  tried. 
This  time  I  slipped  and  fell  on  my 
hands.  As  I  strove  to  get  up,  the  cord 
of  my  gown  became  tangled  about  my 
feet.  The  girl  choked:  whether  with 
coal-dust  or  with  laughter  I  could  not 
say,  as  she  still  had  on  her  cambric-mask. 

97 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Forgive  me,"  she  said.  And  then  I 
knew  it  was  not  the  coal-dust. 

"I'll  forgive  you,  but  I  will  not 
promise  to  forget." 

"Merciful  heavens!  you  must  not  try 
that  again.  Think  of  the  noise!" 

"Was  I  making  any  noise?" — rubbing 
the  perspiration  from  my  forehead.  (I 
had  taken  off  my  mask.) 

"Noise?  The  trump  of  Judgment 
Day  will  be  feeble  compared  to  it. 
Surely  some  one  has  heard  you.  Why 
not  lay  that  board  on  top  of  the  coal?" 

A  good  idea.  I  made  use  of  it  at 
once.  The  window  was  unlatched, 
but  there  was  a  heavy  wire-screen  nailed 
to  the  sills  outside.  There  was  no  get 
ting  out  that  way.  The  gods  were  evi 
dently  busy  elsewhere. 

"Nothing  doing,"  I  murmured,  a  bit 
discouraged. 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"And  even  if  there  was,  you  really 
could  not  expect  me  to  risk  my  neck 
and  dignity  by  climbing  through  a  win 
dow  like  that.  Let  us  give  up  the  idea 
of  windows  and  seek  the  cellar-doors, 
those  that  give  to  the  grounds.  I  declare 
I  shall  leave  by  no  other  exit." 

"It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  let  me 
make  an  ass  of  myself  like  that.  Why 
didn't  you  tell  me  beforehand?" 

"Perhaps  it's  the  angle  of  vision 
again.  I  can  see  that  we  shall  never 
agree.  Seriously,  I  thought  that  if  you 
got  out  that  way,  you  might  find  the 
other  exit  for  me.  I  am  sorry  if  my 
laughter  annoyed  you." 

"Not  at  all,  not  at  all.  But  wouldn't 
it  be  wise  to  save  a  little  laughter  to 
make  merry  with  when  we  get  out?" 

I  stepped  out  of  the  bin  and  relieved 
her  of  the  candle;  and  we  went  on. 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"You  did  look  funny,"  she  said. 

"Please  don't!"  I  begged. 

Soon  we  came  to  a  bin  of  cabbages. 
I  peered  in  philosophically. 

"I  might  find  a  better  head  in  there 
than  mine,"  I  suggested. 

"Now  you  are  trying  to  be  sarcastic," 
said  the  girl. 

We  went  on. 

"Wait  a  moment!"  she  cried.  "Here's 
a  bin  of  nice  apples." 

Apples!  Well,  my  word,  she  was  a 
cool  one!  I  picked  up  one,  polished 
it  on  my  sleeve,  and  gave  it  to  her. 

"I'm  hungry,"  she  said  apologet 
ically. 

"And  plucky,  too,"  I  supplemented 
admiringly.  "Most  women  would  be  in 
a  weeping  state  by  this  time." 

"Perhaps  I  am  waiting  till  it  is  all 
over." 

100 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"You  had  better  take  off  your  mask." 
In  fact  I  felt  positive  that  the  sight  of 
her  exquisite  face  would  act  like  a  tonic 
upon  my  nerves. 

"I  am  doing  very  well  with  it  on.  I 
can  at  least  keep  my  face  clean/'  She 
raised  the  curtain  and  took  a  liberal  bite 
of  the  apple— so  nonchalantly  that  I  was 
forced  to  smile. 

"Here's  a  box,"  said  I;  "let's  sit  down 
while  we  eat.  We  are  safe  enough.  If 
any  one  had  heard  the  racket  in  the 
coal-bin,  the  cellar  would  have  been  full 
of  police  by  this  time." 

And  there  we  sat,  calmly  munching 
the  apples,  for  all  the  world  as  if  the 
iron  hand  of  the  law  wasn't  within  a 
thousand  miles  of  us.  It  was  all  very 
amusing. 

"Are — are  you  the  man  they  are  hunt 
ing  for?"  she  asked  abruptly. 
101 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"I  never  stole  anything  more  terrible 

than  green  apples — and  ripe  ones" — with 

a  nod  toward  the  apple-bin. 

"Pardon  me!   I  feel  very  guilty  in 

asking  you  such  a  question.  You  haven't 

told  me  your  name." 

"Haven't  I?    My  name  is  Richard 

Cornstalk.    My  friends  call  me  Dicky." 
"Dicky,"  she  murmured.  "It's  a  nice 

name.*' 

"Won't  you  have  another  apple?"  I 

asked  impulsively. 

"My  appetite  is  appeased,  thank  you." 
An  idea  came  to   me.    "Hamilton 

said  there  were  three  tens  of  hearts. 

That  meant  that  only  one  was  out  of 

order.   Where  did  you  get  your  card?" 
"That  I  shall  tell  you— later." 
"But  are  you  really  an  impostor?" 
"I  should  not  be  in  this  cellar  else." 
"You  are  very  mystifying." 
102 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"For  the  present  I  prefer  to  remain 
so." 

We  tossed  aside  the  apple-cores,  rose, 
and  went  on.  It  was  the  longest  cellar 
/  ever  saw.  There  seemed  absolutely 
no  end  to  it.  The  wine-cellar  was 
walled  apart  from  the  main  cellar,  and 
had  the  semblance  of  a  huge  cistern  with 
a  door  opening  into  it.  As  we  passed 
it,  the  vague  perfume  of  the  grape  drifted 
out  to  us. 

"Let's  have  a  bottle,"  I  began. 

"Mr.  Cornstalk!" 

"By  absent  -  treatment !"  I  hastened 
to  add. 

"You  will  make  a  capital  comrade — 
if  we  ever  get  out  of  this  cellar." 

"Trust  me  for  that!"  I  replied  gaily. 
"Be  careful;  there's  a  pile  of  empty 
bottles,  yearning  to  be  filled  with  tomato- 
catsup.    Give  me  your  hand." 
103 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

But  the  moment  the  little  digits 
closed  over  mine,  a  thrill  seized  me,  and 
I  quickly  bent  my  head  and  kissed  the 
hand.  It  was  wrong,  but  I  could  not 
help  it.  She  neither  spoke  nor  with 
drew  her  hand;  and  my  fear  that  she 
might  really  be  offended  vanished. 

"We  are  nearly  out  of  it,"  I  said 
exultantly.  "I  see  the  cellar-stairs  on 
ahead.  If  only  those  doors  are  open!" 

"Heaven  is  merciful  to  the  fool,  and 
we  are  a  pair,"  she  replied,  sighing  grate 
fully.  "It  seems  strange  that  nobody 
should  be  in  the  cellar  on  a  night  like 
this.  Hark!  They  are  playing  again  up 
stairs  in  the  ball-room." 

"And  wondering  a  whole  lot  where 
that  third  ten  of  hearts  has  gone." 

"But,  listen.   How  are  we  to  get  back 
to  the  trolley?    We  certainly  can  not 
walk  the  distance  in  these  clothes." 
104 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"Oh,  that  carryall  will  come  to  our 
rescue.  We  are  weary  and  are  leaving 
early,  don't  you  know.  That  part  is 
simple;  the  complicated  thing  is  to 
shake  the  dust  of  this  cellar." 

"What  a  big  furnace! "she  exclaimed, 
as  we  came  into  view  of  the  huge  heat 
ing  apparatus.  "And  there's  more  coal." 

A  man  stepped  out  from  behind  the 
furnace,  and  confronted  us.  A  red  ban 
dana  covered  the  lower  part  of  his  face 
and  his  hat  was  pulled  down  over  his 
eyes.  But  I  recognized  him  instantly. 
It  was  the  fellow  with  the  villainous 
pipe!  Something  glittered  ominously  at 
the  end  of  his  outstretched  arm. 

"If  you  make  any  noise,  sir,  I'll  have 
to  plug  you,  sir,"  he  said  in  polite  but 
muffled  tones. 

The  candle  slipped  from  my  fingers, 
and  the  three  of  us  stood  in  darkness ! 
105 


1 


"\HERE  was  a  clicking  sound, 
and  the  glare  of  a  dark-lantern 
struck  my  blinking  eyes. 
"Pick  up  the  candle,  sir,"  said  the 
tranquil  voice  from  behind  the  light. 

I  obeyed  readily  enough.  Fate  was 
downright  cruel  to  us.  Not  a  dozen 
feet  away  was  liberty;  and  now  we  were 
back  at  the  beginning  again,  with  the 
end  nowhere  in  sight. 

"Shall  I  light  it,  sir?"  I  asked,  not  to 
be  outdone  in  the  matter  of  formal 
politeness. 

1 06 


Hearts   ai\a  Masks 

"Yes,  sir,  doubtless  you  will  need  it." 

I  struck  a  match  and  touched  the 
candle-wick. 

"Burglar?"  said  I.  (For  all  my 
apparent  coolness,  my  heart -beats  were 
away  up  in  the  eighties!) 

The  girl  snuggled  close  to  my  side. 
I  could  feel  her  heart  beating  even 
faster  than  mine. 

"Burglar?"  I  repeated. 

"Indeed,  no,  sir," — reproachfully. 
"Mine  is  a  political  job." 

"A  political  job?" — thunderstruck. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  am  an  inspector  of  cel 
lars," — grimly.  "I  couldn't  get  around 
to  this  here  cellar  earlier  in  the  day,  sir, 
and  a  fellow's  work  must  be  done." 

Here  was  a  burglar  with  the  sense 
of  humor. 

"What  can  I  do  for  you?"  I  asked 
blandly. 

107 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Firstly,  as  they  say,  you  might  tell 
me  what  you  and  this  lady  are  doing  in 
this  lonesome  cellar." 

"Say  'sir/  when  you  address  me." 

"Yes,  sir." 

"The  lady  and  I  were  playing  hide- 
and-seek." 

"Nice  game,  sir," — grinning.  "Were 
you  trying  to  hide  under  the  coal?" 

"Oh,  no;  I  was  merely  exploring  it." 

"Say  'sir,'  when  you  address  me." 

"Sir." 

"You're  a  cool  hand,  sir." 

"I  am  gratified  to  learn  that  our  ad 
miration  is  mutual.  But  what  are  you 
doing  here?" 

"I  was  ascertaining  if  the  law  was 
properly  observed,  s  i  r,"  shaking  with 
silent  laughter. 

"But  what  puzzles  me,"  I  went  on, 
"is  the  fact  that  you  could  gather  the 
108 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

gems  in  that  garb.'*  For  I  was  positive 
that  this  was  the  Galloping  Dick  every 
one  was  looking  for. 

"I  don't  understand  a  word  you  say, 
sir.  I'm  an  inspector  of  cellars,  sir,  not 
a  jeweler.  So  you  and  the  lady  was 
playing  hide-and-seek?  Come,  now, 
what  is  your  graft?  Is  all  the  push  here 
to-night?" 

"That  depends," — cursing  under  my 
breath  that  I  wore  a  gown  which  ham 
pered  my  movements.  For,  truth  to  tell, 
I  was  watching  him  as  a  cat  watches  a 
mouse. 

"Well,  sir,  we  of  the  profession  never 
interferes  with  gentlemanly  jobs,  sir.  All 
I  want  of  you  is  to  help  me  out  of 
here." 

"I  am  not  a  burglar." 

"Oh,  I  understand,  sir;  I  understand 
completely.  A  gentleman  is  always  a 

109 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

gentleman,  sir.  Now,  you  can  return  to 
that  coal-bin.  I  was  just  about  to  make 
for  it  when  you  lit  that  candle." 

"Why  not  leave  by  the  cellar-doors?" 

"I  have  my  reasons,  sir;  most  satis 
factory  reasons,  sir.  /  prefer  the  window. 
Get  along!" — his  tones  suddenly  harden 
ing. 

I  got  along. 

"The  lady  may  sit  down,  sir,"  he  said 
courteously. 

"Thank  you,  I  will,"  replied  the  girl, 
plumping  down  on  an  empty  winecase. 
(She  afterward  confessed  that  if  she  had 
not  sat  down  on  the  box,  she  would 
have  sat  down  on  the  cellar-floor,  as  a 
sort  of  paralysis  had  seized  her  knees.) 

I  stepped  into  the  coal-bin,  and 
rested  the  candle  on  the  little  shelf  for 
that  purpose.  I  was  downright  anxious 
to  see  the  fellow  safely  away.  There 

I  10 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

wasn't  room  in  that  cellar  for  the  three 
of  us.  His  presence  doubly  endangered 
us  and  multiplied  the  complications.  I 
was  in  no  position  to  force  the  gems 
from  him.  A  man  who  has  ten  thou 
sand  dollars'  worth  of  jewels  on  his 
person  doesn't  stop  at  shooting;  and  I 
possessed  a  healthy  regard  for  my  skin. 
I  opened  the  window  and  caught  it  to 
the  ceiling  by  a  hook  I  found  there. 

"There  is  a  stout  screen,  my  man." 

"Take  this,  sir,  and  cut  it  out," — 
handing  me  a  pair  of  wire-clippers, 
holding  his  lantern  under  his  arm 
meanwhile.  The  muzzle  of  the  re 
volver,  during  all  this  time,  never 
wavered  in  its  aim  at  my  head. 

I  went  to  work  at  the  screen,  and 
presently  it  fell  inward. 

"Is  that  satisfactory?" — with  impres 
sive  irony. 

Ill 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"You  are  the  most  perfect  gentleman 
that  /  ever  see,  sir!" 

The  girl  laughed  hysterically. 

"Now  what?"  The  fun  was  begin 
ning  to  pall  on  me. 

"Step  out  of  the  bin  and  stand  aside. 
Sit  down  by  the  lady.  Maybe  she's  a 
bit  frightened." 

I  obeyed  him  to  the  letter. 

"Thanks!"  With  the  agility  of  a 
cat  he  leaped  up  and  wriggled  through 
the  window.  Returned.  "Goodnight, 
sir.  Sometime  maybe  I'll  do  the  same 
for  you,  sir." 

"Go  to  the  devil!"  I  snarled. 

"My,  my!  What  a  temper,  sir!  I 
wouldn't  have  thought  it  of  you,  and  a 
nice  lady  in  speaking  distance!" 

He  disappeared. 

The  girl  laid  a  hand  on  my  arm. 

"You  have  acted  very  sensibly,  Mr, 

112 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

Cornstalk.  If  you  had  not,  it  is  quite 
certain  he  would  have  shot  you." 

"It  would  have  been  a  good  thing 
for  me  if  he  had.  He  has  gone,  and 
the  jewels  have  gone  with  him.  I  hadn't 
the  least  chance;  the  wretch!  He  prob 
ably  came  disguised  as  a  plumber,  and 
nobody  suspected  him." 

"But  if  he  possessed  the  ten  of  hearts, 
why  should  he  have  left  this  way?" 

"Possibly  my  idea  was  only  an  imi 
tation  of  his.  There  must  have  been  at 
least  a  dozen  tens  of  hearts.  My  dear 
young  lady,  I  would  give  a  good  deal  if 
you  were  well  out  of  this.  I  believed 
my  plan  was  for  the  best,  and  instead 
I  have  simply  blackened  the  case  against 
us.  I  have  been  too  adventurous.  The 
situation  looks  very  serious  just  now. 
Of  course,  in  the  long  run,  we  shall 
clear  ourselves;  but  it  will  take  some 

"3 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

fine  arguing  to  do  it,  and  possibly  half 
a  dozen  lawyers." 

"It  is  a  terribly  embarrassing  predica 
ment;  but  since  we  started  out  together, 
we'll  hang  together."  She  held  out  her 
hand  to  me.  "It  will  be  fun  to  extri 
cate  ourselves  with  full  honors." 

"You're  a  brick!"  And  I  pressed 
her  hand  tightly. 

"Now,  I  wonder  why  the  burglar 
didn't  try  those  cellar-doors? "she  mur 
mured. 

"By  Jove,  I'll  soon  find  out!  Come 
on!  There's  hope  yet." 

This  time  we  reached  the  stone  steps 
without  interference.  I  gave  the  candle 
to  the  girl,  cautiously  put  a  shoulder 
against  one  of  the  doors,  and  gave  a 
gentle  heave.  It  was  not  locked. 
Through  the  thin  crack  I  looked  out 
upon  the  bright  world  of  moonshine 
114 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

and  crystal.  Instantly  I  permitted  the 
door  to  settle  into  its  accustomed  place. 
I  readily  understood  the  burglar's  rea 
sons.  Seated  upon  a  box,  less  than  a 
dozen  feet  away,  and  blissfully  smoking 
one  of  the  club's  cigars,  sat  a  burly 
policeman.  So  they  had  arrived  upon 
the  scene! 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  girl,  as  I 
motioned  her  to  retreat. 

"The  worst  has  come:  the  police!" 
— dramatically. 

"Gracious  heavens,  this  is  frightful! 
We  shall  never  get  out  now.  Oh  dear! 
Why  did  I  ever  come?  It  will  be  in 
the  papers,  with  horrid  pictures.  We 
ought  not  to  have  left  the  ball-room. 
Our  very  actions  will  tell  heavily  against 
us.  Awful!" 

"Now,  don't  you  worry.  They  will 
not  take  any  notice  of  you,  once  they 

"5 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

set  eyes  upon  me.  Homo  sum!  They 
are  looking  for  me.  There's  only  one 
superfluous  ten  of  hearts.  I  have  it." 

"But  I  shall  be  found  with  you,  and 
the  stupid  police  will  swear  I  am  an 
accomplice."  She  wrung  her  hands. 

"But  no  jewels  will  be  found  upon 
us,"  I  argued  half-heartedly. 

"They  will  say  we  have  already  dis 
posed  of  them." 

"But  the  real  burglar — " 

"They  will  say  that  he  came  into 
the  cellar  at  our  bidding." 

This  girl  was  terribly  reasonable  and 
direct. 

"Hang  it!  I  know  Teddy  Hamilton, 
the  M.  F.  H.  He'll  go  my  bail,  and 
yours,  too,  for  that  matter.  Come,  let's 
not  give  up.  There  must  be  some  other 
way  out." 

"I  wish  I  might  believe  it.  Why  did 
116 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

I  come?'* — a  bit  of  a  wail  stealing  into 
the  anger  in  her  voice. 

"This  is  Tom  Fool's  Night,  and  no 
mistake,"  I  assented  ruefully. 

"But  I  am  a  bigger  fool  than  you 
are;  I  had  an  alibi,  and  a  good  one." 

"An  alibi?  Why  on  earth,  then,  did 
you  follow  me?  What  is  your  alibi?" 

"Never  mind  now.  We  should  still 
be  in  this  miserable  cellar," — briefly. 
"What  a  night!  I  am  so  ashamed!  I 
shall  be  horribly  compromised." 

"I'll  take  the  brunt  of  it  all.  I'm 
sorry;  but,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,  don't 
cry,  or  I  shall  lose  what  little  nerve  I 
have  left." 

"I  am  not  crying!"  she  denied  em 
phatically.  "My  inclination  is  to  shriek 
with  laughter.  I'm  hysterical.  And  who 
wouldn't  be,  with  police  officers  and 
cells  staring  one  in  the  face?  Let  us  be 
117 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

going.  That  policeman  outside  will 
presently  hear  us  whispering  if  we  stand 
here  much  longer/' 

There  was  wisdom  in  this.  So,  once 
again  I  took  the  candle,  and  we  marched 
back.  There  wasn't  a  single  jest  left  in 
my  whole  system,  and  it  didn't  look  as 
if  there  was  ever  going  to  be  another 
supply.  We  took  the  other  side  of  the 
furnace,  and  at  length  came  to  a  flight 
of  wooden  stairs,  leading  somewhere 
into  the  club.  It  was  our  last  chance, 
or  we  should  indeed  be  obliged  to  stay 
all  night  in  some  bin;  for  it  would  not 
be  long  before  they  searched  the  cellars. 
If  this  flight  led  into  the  kitchen,  we 
were  saved,  for  I  could  bluff  the  servants. 
We  paused.  Presently  we  ascended,  side 
by  side,  with  light  but  firm  step.  We 
reached  the  landing  in  front  of  the  door 
without  mishap.  From  somewhere  came 
118 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

a  puff  of  air  which  blew  out  the  candle. 
I  struck  a  match  viciously  against  the 
wall — and  blundered  into  a  string  of 
cooking-pans!  It  was  all  over,  the  agony 
of  suspense! 

Blang!  Rumpity-bumpity-blang- 
blang! 

I  have  heard  many  stage  thunders  in 
my  time,  but  that  racket  beat  anything 
and  everything  this  side  of  siege-guns. 

Instantly  the  door  opened  and  a 
policeman  poked  his  head  in.  Before 
I  had  time  to  move,  he  grabbed  me  by 
the  arm  and  yanked  me — into  the  ball 
room!  The  girl  and  I  had  made  a 
complete  circuit  of  the  cellars,  and  had 
stumbled  into  the  ball-room  again  by 
the  flight  opposite  to  that  by  which  we 
left  it.  Cheerful  prospect,  wasn't  it? 
The  adventure  had  ceased  to  have  any 
droll  side  to  it. 

119 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"Aha!"  cried  the  base  minion  of  the 
law.  "Here  you  are,  then!  Hello, 
everybody!  Hello!"  he  bawled. 

Caught!  Here  we  were,  the  Blue 
Domino  and  myself,  the  Grey  Capuchin, 
both  of  us  in  a  fine  fix.  Discovery  and 
ejection  I  could  have  stood  with  forti 
tude  and  equanimity;  but  there  was  bad 
business  afoot.  There  wasn't  any  doubt 
in  my  mind  what  was  going  to  happen. 
As  the  girl  said,  there  would  be  flaring 
head-lines  and  horrid  pictures.  We 
were  like  to  be  the  newspaper  sensation 
of  the  day.  Arrested  and  lodged  in 
jail!  What  would  my  rich,  doting  old 
uncle  say  to  that,  who  had  threatened 
to  disinherit  me  for  lesser  things!  I 
felt  terribly  sorry  for  the  girl,  but  it  was 
now  utterly  impossible  to  help  her,  for 
I  couldn't  help  myself. 

And  behold!  The  mysterious  stran- 
120 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

ger  I  had  met  in  the  curio-shop,  the 
fellow  who  had  virtually  haunted  me 
for  six  hours,  the  fellow  who  had  mas 
queraded  as  Caesar,  suddenly  loomed 
up  before  me,  still  wearing  his  sardonic 
smile.  At  his  side  were  two  more 
policemen.  He  had  thrown  aside  his 
toga  and  was  in  evening  dress.  His 
keen  glance  rested  on  me. 

"Here  he  is,  Mr.  Haggerty!"  cried 
the  policeman  cheerfully,  swinging  me 
around. 

A  detective!  And  Heaven  help  me, 
he  believed  me  to  be  the  thief!  Oh, 
for  Aladdin's  lamp! 


121 


1  STOOD  with  folded  arms,  awaiting 
his  approach.     Nonchalance  is 
always  respected  by  the  police.    I 
must  have  presented  a  likely  picture, 
however— my  face  blackened  with  coal- 
dust,  cobwebs  stringing  down  over  my 
eyes,  my  Capuchin  gown  soiled  and 
rent.    The  girl  quietly  took  her  place 
beside  me. 

"So  you  took  a  chance  at  the  cellars, 

eh?"  inquired  the  detective  urbanely. 

"Well,  you  look  it.    Will  you  go  with 

us  quietly, or  shall  we  have  to  use  force?" 

122 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"In  the  first  place,  what  do  you  and 
your  police  want  of  me?"  I  returned 
coolly. 

He  exhibited  his  star  of  authority. 

"I  am  Haggerty  of  the  Central  Of 
fice.  I  want  you  for  several  things." 

Several  things?  I  stared  at  him 
stupidly.  Several  things?  Then  it  came 
to  me,  with  a  jar  like  an  earthquake. 
The  story  in  the  newspaper  returned  to 
my  vision.  Oh,  this  was  too  much, 
altogether  too  much!  He  took  me  to 
be  the  fashionable  thief  for  whom  half 
the  New  York  police  force  were  hunt 
ing.  My  sight  swam  for  a  moment  in 
a  blur. 

"What  is  it  you  think  I  have  done?" 
I  demanded. 

"You  have,  or  have  had,  several  thou 
sand  dollars'  worth  of  gems  on  your 
person  to-night." 

123 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

I  shrugged.  The  accusation  was  so 
impossible  that  my  confidence  returned. 

"Mr.  Haggerty,  you  are  making  a 
stupid  mistake.  You  are  losing  time, 
besides.  I  am  not  the  man  for  whom 
you  are  hunting.  My  name  is  Richard 
Cornstalk." 

"One  name  or  another,  it  does  not 
matter." 

"Plenty  of  gall,"  murmured  one  of 
the  minions  of  the  law,  whom  I  after 
ward  learned  was  the  chief  of  the  vil 
lage  police. 

"The  card  by  which  you  gained 
admittance  here,"  demanded  the  great 
Haggerty  truculently. 

I  surrendered  it.  A  crowd  had  by 
this  time  collected  curiously  about  us. 
I  could  see  the  musicians  on  the  stage 
peering  over  the  plants. 

"The  thief  you  are  looking  for  has 

124 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

gone,"  said  I.  "He  escaped  by  the  coal- 
window."  By  this  statement  my  feet 
sank  deeper  still. 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  cried  Hag- 
gerty,  turning  to  his  men.  "They  had 
an  accomplice  hidden  in  the  cellars." 

"I  beg  to  inform  you  that  you  are 
making  a  mistake  that  will  presently 
cost  you  dear," — thinking  of  the  polit 
ical  pull  my  uncle  had  in  New  York. 
"I  am  the  nephew  of  Daniel  Wither- 
spoon." 

"Worse  and  worse!"  said  the  chief 
of  police. 

"We  shall  discuss  the  mistake  later 
and  at  length.  Of  course  you  can  easily 
explain  how  you  came  to  impose  upon 
these  people," — ironically.  "Bah!  the 
game  is  up.  When  you  dropped  that 
card  in  Friard's  and  said  you  were  going 
to  a  masquerade,  I  knew  your  game  in 
125 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

a  minute,  and  laid  eyes  upon  you  for  the 
first  time  since  I  began  the  chase.  I've 
been  after  you  for  weeks.  Your  society 
dodge  has  worked  out,  and  I'll  land  you 
behind  the  bars  for  some  time  to  come, 
my  gay  boy.  Come," — roughly. 

"I  request  Mr.  Hamilton  to  be  called. 
He  will  prove  to  you  that  you  are 
greatly  mistaken."  Everything  looked 
pretty  black,  I  can  tell  you. 

"You  will  see  whom  you  please,  but 
only  after  you  are  safely  landed  in  the 
lockup.  Now,  Madame,"— turning 
swiftly  upon  the  Blue  Domino,  "what 
is  your  part  in  this  fine  business?" 

"It  certainly  has  no  part  in  yours," 
— icily. 

Haggerty  smiled.  "My  skin  is  very 
thick.  Do  you  know  this  fellow?" 

She  shook  her  head.  He  stood  un 
decided  for  a  space. 

126 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"Let  me  see  your  card." 

"I  decline  to  produce  it," — haughtily. 

Haggerty  seemed  staggered  for  a 
moment.  "I  am  sorry  to  annoy  you, 
but  you  must  be  identified  at  once." 

"And  why?"— proudly.  "Was  it  for 
bidden  to  go  into  the  club  cellars  for 
such  harmless  things  as  apples?" 

Apples!  I  looked  at  her  admiringly. 

"Apples?"  repeated  Haggerty. 
"Couldn't  you  have  sent  a  servant  for 
them?" 

She  did  not  reply. 

"You  were  with  this  clever  gentle 
man  in  the  cellars.  You  may  or  may  not 
be  acquainted  with  him.  I  do  not  wish 
to  do  anything  hasty  in  regard  to  your 
self,  but  your  position  is  rather  equivo 
cal.  Produce  your  card  and  be  identified 
— if  you  really  can." 

"I  refuse!" 

127 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Then  I  shall  ask  you  to  accompany 
us  to  the  room  up  stairs  till  the  police- 
patrol  arrives." 

"I  will  go," — quietly. 

•'Nonsense!"  I  objected.  "On  my 
word  of  honor,  I  do  not  know  this  lady. 
Our  presence  in  the  cellar  was  perfectly 
harmless.  There  is  no  valid  reason  for 
detaining  her.  It  is  an  outrage!" 

"I  am  not  going  to  stand  here  argu 
ing  with  you,"  said  Haggerty.  "Let  the 
lady  produce  her  card;  let  her  disclose 
her  identity.   That  is  simple  enough." 

"I  have  already  given  you  my  deter 
mination  on  that  subject,"  replied  the 
girl.  "I  can  very  well  explain  my  pres 
ence  here,  but  I  absolutely  decline  to 
explain  it  to  the  police." 

I  didn't  understand  her  at  all.     She 
had  said  that  she  possessed  an  alibi.  Why 
didn't  she  produce  it? 
128 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

So  the  two  of  us  left  the  gorgeous 
ball-room.  Every  one  moved  aside  for 
us,  and  quickly,  too,  as  if  we  had  had 
the  plague.  I  looked  in  vain  for  Ham 
ilton.  He  was  a  friend  in  need.  We  were 
taken  into  the  steward's  office  and 
the  door  was  shut  and  locked.  The 
band  in  the  ball-room  went  galloping 
through  a  two-step,  and  the  gaiety  was 
in  full  swing  again.  The  thief  had  been 
rounded  up!  How  the  deuce  was  it 
going  to  end? 

"I  can  not  tell  you  how  sorry  I  am 
to  have  mixed  you  up  in  this,"  I  said 
to  the  girl. 

"You  are  in  no  manner  to  blame. 
Think  of  what  might  have  happened  had 
you  blown  up  the  post-office!" 

She  certainly  was  the  least  embar 
rassed  of  the  two  of  us.    I  addressed  my 
next  remarks  to  the  great  Haggerty. 
129 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Did  you  find  a  suitable  pistol  in 
Friard's?" 

"A  man  in  my  business,"  said  Hag- 
gerty  mildly,  "is  often  found  in  such 
places.  There  are  various  things  to  be 
recovered  in  pawnshops.  The  gentle 
men  of  this  club  sent  me  the  original 
ten  of  hearts,  my  presence  being  neces 
sary  at  such  big  entertainments.  And 
when  I  saw  that  card  of  yours,  I  was  so 
happy  that  I  nearly  put  you  on  your 
guard.  Lord,  how  long  I've  been  look 
ing  for  you !  I  give  you  credit  for  being 
a  clever  rascal.  You  have  fooled  us  all 
nicely.  Not  a  soul  among  us  knew  your 
name,  nor  what  you  looked  like.  And 
but  for  that  card,  you  might  still  be  at 
large.  Until  the  lady  submits  to  the 
simple  process  of  identification,  I  shall 
be  compelled  to  look  upon  her  and 
treat  her  as  an  accomplice.  She  has 
130 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

refused  the  offer  I  have  made  her,  and 
she  can  not  blame  me  if  I  am  suspi 
cious,  when  to  be  suspicious  is  a  part  of 
my  business."  He  was  reasonable  enough 
in  regard  to  the  girl. 

He  turned  to  the  chief  of  the  village 
police,  who  was  sitting  at  the  desk  ordi 
narily  used  by  the  club's  steward. 

"No  reporters,  mind  you." 

"Yes,  sir.  We'll  see  that  no  reporter 
gets  wind  of  the  capture." 

The  telephone  bell  rang.  One  of  the 
police  answered  it. 

"For  you,  Mr.  Haggerty,"  he  said. 

Haggerty  sprang  to  the  telephone  and 
placed  the  receiver  to  his  ear. 

"What?"  we  heard  him  exclaim. 
"You  have  got  the  other  fellow?  A 
horse  and  carriage  at  once!" 

"Take  mine,"  said  the  chief  excitedly. 
"What  is  it?" 

I3I 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"My  subordinate  at  the  railway  sta 
tion  has  just  landed  the  fellow  with  the 
jewels.  Mighty  quick  work.  I  must 
hustle  in  to  town  at  once.  There'll  be 
plenty  of  time  to  attend  to  these  per 
sons.  Bring  them  to  town  the  moment 
the  patrol  arrives.  The  gems  are  the 
most  important  things  just  now." 

"Yes,  sir.  You  can  rely  upon  us,  Mr. 
Haggerty.  Billy,  go  down  with  Mr. 
Haggerty  and  show  him  my  rig." 

"Good! "said  Haggerty.  "It's  been 
a  fine  night's  work,  my  lads,  a  fine  night's 
work.  I'll  see  that  all  get  some  credit. 
Permit  no  one  to  approach  the  prisoners 
without  proper  authority." 

"Your  orders  shall  be  obeyed  to  the 
letter,"  said  the  chief  importantly.  He 
already  saw  his  name  figuring  in  the 
New  York  papers  as  having  assisted  in 
the  capture  of  a  great  thief. 
132 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

I  cursed  under  my  breath.  If  it  hadn't 
been  for  the  girl,  I  am  ashamed  to  con 
fess,  I  should  have  cursed  out  loud.  She 
sat  rigid  and  motionless.  It  must  have 
been  a  cruel  ordeal  for  her.  But  what 
was  puzzling  me  was  the  fact  that  she 
made  not  the  slightest  effort  to  spring 
her  alibi.  If  /  had  had  one!  Where 
was  Hamilton?  I  scarcely  inclined  to 
the  idea  of  sleeping  in  jail  in  a  dress- 
suit. 

Haggerty  departed.  A  silence  settled 
gloomily  down  on  us.  Quarter  of  an 
hour  passed.  The  grim-visaged  police 
watched  us  vigilantly.  Half  an  hour, 
three-quarters,  an  hour.  Far  away  we 
heard  the  whistle  of  an  out-going  train. 
Would  I  had  been  on  it!  From  time 
to  time  we  heard  faint  music.  At  length 
there  was  a  noise  outside  the  door,  and 
a  moment  later  Hamilton  and  two  oth- 

133 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

ers  came  in.  When  he  saw  me,  he 
stopped,  his  eyes  bulging  and  his  mouth 
agape. 

"Dicky  Cornstalk?"  he  cried  help 
lessly.  "What  the  devil  does  this  mean?" 
— turning  to  the  police. 

"Do  you  know  this  fellow,  Mr. 
Hamilton?"  asked  the  chief. 

"Know  him?  Of  course  I  know  him," 
answered  Teddy;  "and  I'll  stake  my  last 
dollar  on  his  honesty." 

(Thanks,  Teddy! )  I  began  to  breathe. 

"But — "  began  the  chief,  seized  with 
sudden  misgivings. 

"It  is  impossible,  I  tell  you,"  inter 
rupted  Hamilton.  "  I  know  this  gentle 
man  is  incapable  of  the  theft.  There 
is  some  frightful  mistake.  How  the 
dickens  did  you  get  here,  Dicky?" 

And  briefly  I  told  him  my  story,  my 
ass's  ears  growing  inch  by  inch  as  I  went 

'34 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

along.  Hamilton  didn't  know  whether 
to  swear  or  to  laugh;  finally  he  laughed. 

"If  you  wanted  to  come,  why  didn't 
you  write  me  for  an  invitation?" 

"I  shouldn't  have  come  to  your  old 
ball,  had  I  been  invited.  It  was  just  the 
idea  of  the  lark." 

"We  shall  have  to  hold  him,  never 
theless,"  said  the  chief,  "till  everything 
is  cleared  up.  The  girl — " 

Hamilton  looked  at  the  Blue  Domino. 

"Madame,  will  you  do  me  the  honor 
to  raise  your  mask?" 

She  did  so;  and  I  saw  Hamilton  draw 
in  his  breath.  Her  beauty  was  certainly 
of  an  exquisite  pattern.  He  frowned 
anxiously. 

"I  never  saw  this  young  woman  be 
fore,"  he  admitted  slowly. 

"Ha!"  cried  the  chief,  glad  to  find 
some  one  culpable. 

'35 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"Did  you  receive  your  invitation 
through  the  proper  channels?"  asked 
Hamilton. 

"I  came  here  to-night," — coldly,  "on 
the  invitation  of  Mrs.  Hyphen-Bonds, 
who  sailed  for  Europe  Wednesday." 

Here  was  an  alibi  that  was  an  alibi! 
I  was  all  at  sea.  Hamilton  bowed;  the 
chief  coughed  worriedly  behind  his 
hand.  The  girl  had  told  me  she  was  an 
impostor  like  myself,  that  her  ten  of 
hearts  was  as  dark-stained  as  my  own.  I 
could  not  make  head  or  tail  to  it.  Mrs. 
Hyphen-Bonds!  She  was  a  law  in  the 
land,  especially  in  Blankshire,  the  larger 
part  of  which  she  owned.  What  did  it 
all  mean?  And  what  was  her  idea  in 
posing  as  an  impostor? 

The  door  opened  again. 

"The  patrol  has  come,"  said  the  offi 
cer  who  entered. 


"Let  it  wait,"  growled  the  chief. 
"  Haggerty  has  evidently  got  us  all  balled 
up.  I  don't  believe  his  fashionable  thief 
has  materialized  at  all;  just  a  common 
crook.  Well,  he's  got  him,  at  any  rate, 
and  the  gems." 

"You  have,  of  course,  the  general 
;nvitation?"  said  Hamilton. 

"Here  it  is," — and  she  passed  the 
engraved  card  to  him. 

"I  beg  a  thousand  pardons!"  said 
Hamilton  humbly.  "Everything  seems 
to  have  gone  wrong." 

"Will  you  guarantee  this  man?  "asked 
the  chief  of  Hamilton,  nodding  toward 
me. 

"I  have  said  so.  Mr.  Cornstalk  is 
very  well  known  to  me.  He  is  a  retired 
army  officer,  and  to  my  knowledge  a 
man  with  an  income  sufficient  to  put 
him  far  beyond  want." 

'37 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

"What  is  your  name?"  asked  the 
chief  of  the  girl,  scowling.  It  was  quite 
evident  he  couldn't  understand  her 
actions  any  better  than  I. 

"Alice  Hawthorne,"  with  an  oblique 
glance  at  me. 

I  had  been  right! 

"What  is  your  occupation?  I  am 
obliged  to  ask  these  questions,  Miss." 

"I  am  a  miniature  painter," — briefly. 

Hamilton  came  forward.  "Alice 
Hawthorne?  Pardon  me,  but  are  you 
the  artist  who  recently  completed  the 
miniatures  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany, 
the  Princess  of  Hesse,  and  Mrs.  Hyphen- 
Bonds?" 

"I  am.  I  believe  there  is  no  further 
reason  for  detaining  me." 

"Emperor  of  Germany?"  echoed  the 
now  bewildered  chief.  "Why  didn't 
you  tell  all  this  to  Mr.  Haggerty?" 

138 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"I  had  my  reasons.'* 

Once  again  the  door  opened.  A  burly 
man  in  a  dark  business-suit  entered.  His 
face  was  ruddy  and  his  little  grey  eyes 
sparkled  with  suppressed  ire.  He  re 
minded  me  of  Vautrin,  the  only  differ 
ence  being  that  Vautrin  was  French 
while  this  man  was  distinctly  Irish. 
His  massive  shoulders  betrayed  tremen 
dous  strength.  He  was  vastly  angry  about 
something.  He  went  to  the  chief's 
desk  and  rested  his  hands  upon  it. 

"You  are  a  nice  specimen  for  a  chief 
of  police,  you  are!"  he  began. 

"And  who  the  devil  are  you?"  bawled 
the  chief,  his  choler  rising. 

"I'll  tell  you  who  I  am  presently." 

We  all  eyed  him  in  wonder.  What 
was  going  to  happen  now? 

"Which  of  you  gentlemen  is  Mr. 
Hamilton?"asked  the  new-comer  gruffly. 

139 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

Hamilton  signified  that  he  was  the 
gentleman  by  that  name. 

"Some  ladies  at  your  ball  have  been 
robbed  of  their  diamonds,  I  understand?" 

"About  ten  thousand  dollars'  worth." 

"Look  here,  sir,"  cried  the  chief, 
standing  up  and  balling  his  fist,  "  I  want 
you  to  explain  yourself,  and  mighty 
quick.  You  can't  come  into  my  pres 
ence  in  this  manner." 

"Bah!  You  have  just  permitted  the 
cleverest  rascal  in  the  state  to  slip 
through  your  butter-fingers.  /  am  Hag- 

gerty." 

The  chief  of  police  sat  down  suddenly. 


140 


VII 

THE  consummate  daring  of  it! 
Why,  the  rascal  ought  to  have 
been  in  command  of  an  army. 
On   the  Board  of  Strategy  he  would 
have  been  incomparable! 

There  followed  a  tableau  that  I  shall 
not  soon  forget.  We  all  stared  at  the 
real  Haggerty  much  after  the  fashion  of 
Medusa's  victims.  Presently  the  tension 
relaxed,  and  we  all  sighed.  I  sighed 
because  the  thought  of  jail  for  the  night 
in  a  dress-suit  dwindled  in  perspective; 
the  girl  sighed  for  the  same  reason  and 
141 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

one  or  two  other  things;  the  chief  of 
the  village  police  and  his  officers  sighed 
because  darkness  had  suddenly  swooped 
down  on  them;  and  Hamilton  sighed 
because  there  were  no  gems.  Haggerty 
was  the  one  among  us  who  didn't  sigh. 
He  scowled  blackly. 

This  big  athlete  looked  like  a  detect 
ive,  and  the  abrupt  authority  of  his 
tones  convinced  me  that  he  was.  Hag 
gerty  was  celebrated  in  the  annals  of 
police  affairs;  he  had  handled  all  sorts  of 
criminals,  from  titled  impostors  down 
to  petty  thieves.  He  was  not  a  man  to 
trifle  with,  mentally  or  physically,  and 
for  this  reason  we  were  all  shaking  in 
our  boots.  He  owned  to  a  keen  but  brutal 
wit;  to  him  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
sex  among  criminals,  and  he  had  the  te 
nacity  of  purpose  that  has  given  the 
bulldog  considerable  note  in  the  pit. 
142 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

But  it  was  quite  plain  that  for  once  he 
had  met  his  match. 

"I  don't  see  how  you  can  blame  me," 
mumbled  the  chief.  "None  of  us  was 
familiar  with  your  looks,  and  he  showed 
us  his  star  of  authority,  and  went  to 
work  in  a  business-like  way — By  George! 
and  he  has  run  away  with  my  horse  and 
carriage!" — starting  from  his  chair. 

"Never  mind  the  horse.  You'll  find 
it  safe  at  the  railway  station,"  snarled 
Haggerty.  "Now,  then,  tell  me  every 
thing  that  has  happened,  from  beginning 
to  end." 

And  the  chief  recounted  the  adven 
ture  briefly.  Haggerty  looked  coldly  at 
me  and  shrugged  his  broad  shoulders. 
As  for  the  girl,  he  never  gave  her  so 
much  as  a  single  glance.  He  knew  a 
gentlewoman  without  looking  at  her 
twice. 

143 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"Humph!  Isn't  he  a  clever  one, 
though?"  cried  Haggerty,  in  a  burst  of 
admiration.  "Clever  is  no  name  for  it. 
I'd  give  a  year  of  my  life  to  come  face 
to  face  with  him.  It  would  be  an  inter 
esting  encounter.  Hunted  him  for 
weeks,  and  to-day  laid  eyes  on  him  for 
the  first  time.  Had  my  clumsy  paws  on 
him  this  very  afternoon.  He  seemed  so 
willing  to  be  locked  up  that  I  grew 
careless.  Biff!  and  he  and  his  accom 
plice,  an  erstwhile  valet,  had  me  trussed 
like  a  chicken  and  bundled  into  the 
clothes-press.  Took  my  star,  credentials, 
playing-card,  and  invitation.  It  was  near 
eleven  o'clock  when  I  roused  the  house 
keeper.  I  telegraphed  two  hours  ago." 

"Telegraphed!" exclaimed  the  chief, 
rousing  himself  out  of  a  melancholy 
dream.     (There  would  be  no  mention 
of  him  in  the  morrow's  papers.) 
144 


"Yes,  telegraphed.  The  despatch  lay 
unopened  on  your  office-desk.  You're 
a  good  watch-dog — for  a  hen-coop!" 
growled  Haggerty.  "Ten  thousand  in 
gems  to-night,  and  by  this  time  he  is 
safe  in  New  York.  You  are  all  a  pack 
of  blockheads. 

"Used  the  telephone,  did  he?  Told 
you  to  hold  these  innocent  persons  till 
he  went  somewhere  to  land  the  accom 
plice,  eh?  The  whistle  of  the  train  meant 
nothing  to  you.  Well,  that  whistle  ought 
to  have  told  you  that  there  might  be  a 
mistake.  A  good  officer  never  quits  his 
prisoners.  If  there  is  an  accomplice  in 
toils  elsewhere,  he  makes  them  bring 
him  in,  he  does  not  go  out  for  him.  And 
now  I've  got  to  start  all  over  again,  and 
he  in  New  York,  a  bigger  catacomb 
than  Rome  ever  boasted  of.  He's  not 
a  common  thief;  nobody  knows  who  he 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

is  or  what  his  haunts  are.  But  I  have 
seen  his  face;  I'll  never  forget  him." 

The  chief  tore  his  hair,  while  his 
subordinates  shuffled  their  feet  uneasily. 
Then  they  all  started  in  to  explain  their 
theories.  But  the  detective  silenced 
them  with  a  wave  of  his  huge  hand. 

"I  don't  want  to  hear  any  explana 
tions.  Let  these  persons  go,"  he  com 
manded,  with  a  jerk  of  his  head  in  our 
direction.  "You  can  all  return  to  town 
but  one  officer.  I  may  need  a  single 
man,"  Haggerty  added  thoughtfully. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  asked 
the  chief. 

"Never  you  mind.  I  have  an  idea; 
it  may  be  a  good  one.  If  it  is,  I'll  tele 
phone  you  all  about  it  when  the  time 
comes." 

He  stepped  over  to  the  telephone  and 
called  up  central.  He  spoke  so  low  that 
146 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

none  of  us  overheard  what  he  said;  but 
he  hung  up  the  receiver,  a  satisfied  smile 
on  his  face. 

The  girl  and  I  were  free  to  go  whither 
we  listed,  and  we  listed  to  return  at  once 
to  New  York.  Hamilton,  however, 
begged  us  to  remain,  to  dance  and  eat, 
as  a  compensation  for  what  we  had  gone 
through;  but  Miss  Hawthorne  resolutely 
shook  her  head;  and  as  there  was  noth 
ing  in  the  world  that  would  have 
induced  me  to  stay  without  her,  I  shook 
my  head,  too.  It  seemed  to  me  I  had 
known  this  girl  all  my  life,  so  closely 
does  misfortune  link  one  life  to  another. 
I  had  seen  her  for  the  first  time  less 
than  eight  hours  before;  and  yet  I  was 
confident  that  as  many  years,  under  or 
dinary  circumstances,  would  not  have 
taught  me  her  real  worth. 

"Mrs.  Hyphen-Bonds  will  never  for- 

1.47 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

give  me,"  said  Hamilton  dismally,  "if 
she  hears  that  I've  been  the  cause, 
indirectly  and  innocently,  of  turning  you 
away." 

"Mrs.  Hyphen-Bonds  need  never 
know,"  replied  the  girl,  smiling  inscrut 
ably.  "In  fact,  it  would  be  perfectly 
satisfactory  and  agreeable  to  me  if  she 
never  heard  at  all." 

"I  will  call  a  conveyance  for  you," 
said  the  defeated  M.  F.  H.  "I  shall 
never  forgive  you,  Dicky." 

"Yes,  you  will,  Teddy.  A  loving- 
cup,  the  next  time  we  meet  at  the  club, 
will  mellow  everything." 

Quarter  of  an  hour  later  Miss  Haw 
thorne  and  I,  wrapped  in  buffalo-robes, 
our  feet  snugly  stowed  away  in  straw, 
slid  away,  to  the  jangle  and  quarrel  of 
sleighbells,  toward  Moriarty's  Holly 
wood  Inn.  The  moon  shone;  not  a 
148 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

cloud  darkened  her  serene  and  lovely 
countenance.  The  pearly  whiteness  of 
the  world  would  have  aroused  the  poetry 
in  the  most  sordid  soul;  and  far,  far 
away  to  the  east  the  black,  tossing  line 
of  the  sea  was  visible. 

"What  a  beautiful  night!"  I  volun 
teered. 

"The  beginning  of  the  end." 

"The  beginning  of  the  end?  What 
does  that  mean?" 

"Why,  when  you  first  spoke  to  me, 
it  was  about  the  weather." 

"Oh,  but  this  isn't  going  to  be  the 
end;  this  is  the  true  beginning  of  all 
things." 

"I  wish  I  could  see  it  in  that  light; 
but  we  can  not  see  beauty  in  anything 
when  hunger  lies  back  of  the  eyes.  I 
haven't  had  anything  to  eat,  save  that 
single  apple,  for  hours  and  hours.  I 
149 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

was  so  excited  at  Mouquin's  that  I  ate 
almost  nothing." 

"You  are  hungry?  Well,  we'll  fix 
that  when  we  get  to  Moriarty's.  I'll 
find  a  way  of  waking  him  up,  in  case 
he's  asleep,  which  I  doubt.  There  will 
be  cold  chicken  and  ham  and  hot 
coffee." 

"Lovely!" 

"And  we  shall  dine  with  the  gods. 
And  now  it  is  all  over  and  done,  it  was 
funny,  wasn't  it?" 

"Terribly  funny!" — with  a  shade  of 
irony.  "It  would  have  been  funnier  still 
if  the  real  Haggerty  hadn't  turned  up. 
The  patrol  had  arrived." 

"But  it  didn't  happen.  I  shall  never 
forget  this  night," — romantically. 

"  I  should  be  inordinately  glad  to  for 
get  it  completely," — decidedly. 

"Where's  your  romance?"  I  asked. 
150 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"I'd  rather  have  it  served  to  me  be 
tween  book-covers.  As  I  grow  older 
my  love  of  repose  increases." 

"Do  you  know,"  I  began  boldly, "it 
seems  that  I  have  known  you  all  my 
life." 

"Indeed!" 

"Yes.  Why,  I  might  really  have 
known  you  all  my  life,  and  still  not  have 
known  you  as  well  as  I  do  this  very 
minute, — and  less  than  a  dozen  hours 
between  this  .and  our  first  meeting.  You 
are  as  brave  as  a  paladin,  wise  as  a  ser 
pent,  cool,  witty — and  beautiful!" 

"Shall  I  ask  the  driver  to  let  me 
out?"  Then  she  laughed,  a  rollicking, 
joyous  laugh. 

"What  is  so  funny?" 

"I   was  thinking  of  that  coal-bin." 

"Well,  I  didn't  permit  a  lonely  potato 
to  frighten  me,"  I  retorted. 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"No, you  were  brave  enough — among 
the  potatoes." 

"You  are  beautiful!" 

"I  am  hungry." 

"You  are  the  most  beautiful  girl — " 

"I  want  something  to  eat." 

" — I  ever  saw!  Do  you  think  it  pos 
sible  for  a  man  to  fall  in  love  at  first 
sight?" 

"Oh,  nothing  is  impossible  on  Tom 
Fool's  night.  Positive,  fool;  compara 
tive,  fooler;  superlative,  foolest.  You 
are  marching  on  with  your  degrees, 
Mr.  Cornstalk." 

"You  might  call  me  Dicky,"  I  said 
in  an  aggrieved  tone. 

"Dicky?  Never!  I  should  always  be 
thinking  of  paper  collars." 

"I  wish  /  were  witty  like  that!" 

She  snuggled  down  beneath  the  robes. 

An  artist's  model,  thought  I.  Never 
152 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

in  this  world.  I  now  understood  the 
drift  of  her  uncle's  remark  about  her 
earning  capacity.  The  Alice  Hawthorne 
miniatures  brought  fabulous  prices.  And 
here  I  was,  sitting  so  close  to  her  that 
our  shoulders  touched:  and  she  a  girl 
who  knew  intimately  emperors  and 
princesses  and  dukes,  not  to  mention  the 
worldly-rich.  I  admit  that  for  a  mo 
ment  I  was  touched  with  awe.  And  it 
was  beginning  to  get  serious.  This  girl 
interested  me  marvelously.  I  summoned 
up  all  my  courage. 

"Are— are  you  married?" 

"No-o." 

"Nor  engaged  to  be  married?" 

"No-o.  But  you  mustn't  ask  all  these 
questions." 

"How  would  you  like  to  ride  around 
in  a  first-class  motor-car  the  rest  of  your 
days?" 

153 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

She  laughed  merrily.  Possibly  it  was 
funny. 

"Are  you  always  amusing  like  this?" 

"Supposing  I  were  serious?" 

"In  that  case  I  should  say  you  had 
not  yet  slipped  off  your  fool's  motley." 

This  directness  was  discouraging. 

"I  wonder  if  the  ten  of  hearts  is 
lucky,  after  all,"  I  mused. 

"We  are  not  in  jail.  I  consider  that 
the  best  of  good  fortune." 

"Give  me  your  card,"  said  I. 

She  gave  me  the  card,  and  I  put  it 
with  mine. 

"Why  do  you  do  that?" 

"Perhaps  I  want  to  bring  about  an 
enchantment," — soberly. 

"As  Signor  Fantoccini,  or  as  Mr. 
Cornstalk?" 

"I  have  long  since  resigned  my  posi 
tion  in  the  museum;  it  was  too  exciting." 

'54 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

She  made  no  rejoinder;  and  for  some 
time  there  was  no  sound  but  the  music 
of  the  bells. 

Finally  we  drew  up  under  the  colonial 
porte-cochere  of  Hollywood  Inn  and 
were  welcomed  by  the  genial  Moriarty 
himself,  his  Celtic  countenance  a  mir 
ror  of  smiles. 

"Anything  in  the  house  to  eat?"  I 
cried,  shaking  the  robes  from  me. 

"Anything  ye  like,  if  you  like  cowld 
things.  I  can  hate  ye  a  pot  of  coffee  on 
the  gasolene-burner,  and  there's  manny 
a  vintage  in  the  cillars." 

"That  will  be  plenty!" — joyfully, 
helping  Miss  Hawthorne  to  alight. 

"Sure,  and  ye  are  from  the  Hunt 
Club!" — noting  our  costumes.  "Well, 
well!  They  niver  have  anny  too  much 
grub.  Now,  I'll  putt  ye  in  a  little  room 
all  be  yersilves,  with  a  windy  and  a  log- 

'55 


Hearts  aria  Masks 

fire;  cozy  as  ye  plaze.  Ye'll  have  nearly 
two  hours  to  wait  for  the  car-r  from 
the  village." 

We  entered  the  general  assembly- 
room.  It  was  roomy  and  quaint,  and 
somewhere  above  us  was  the  inevitable 
room  in  which  George  Washington  had 
slept.  The  great  hooded  fireplace  was 
merry  with  crackling  logs.  Casually  I 
observed  that  we  were  not  alone.  Over 
yonder,  in  a  shadowed  corner,  sat  two 
men,  very  well  bundled  up,  and,  to  all 
appearances,  fast  asleep.  Moriarty 
lighted  a  four-branched  candelabrum 
and  showed  us  the  way  to  the  little 
private  dining-room,  took  our  orders, 
and  left  us. 

"This  is  romance,"  said  I.  "They 
used  to  do  these  things  hundreds  of 
years  ago,  and  everybody  had  a  good 
time." 

156 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"It  is  now  all  very  wicked  and  im 
proper,"  murmured  the  girl,  laying 
aside  her  domino  for  the  first  time;  "but 
delightful!  I  now  find  I  haven't  the 
least  bit  of  remorse  for  what  I  have 
done." 

In  that  dark  evening  gown  she  was 
very  beautiful.  Her  arms  and  shoulders 
were  tinted  like  Carrara  marble;  and  I 
knew  instantly  that  I  was  never  going 
to  recover.  I  drew  two  chairs  close  to 
the  grate.  I  sat  down  in  one  and  she 
in  the  other.  With  a  contented  sigh 
she  rested  her  blue-slippered  feet  on  the 
brass  fender. 

"My  one  regret  is  that  I  haven't  any 
shoes.  What  an  adventure!" 

"It's  fine!"  Two  hours  in  the  soci 
ety  of  this  enchanting  creature!  It  was 
almost  too  good  to  be  true.  Ah,  if  it 
might  always  be  like  this— to  return 

157 


Hearts   and  Masks 

home  from  the  day's  work,  to  be  greeted 
warmly  by  a  woman  as  beautiful  as  this 
one!  I  sighed  loudly. 

Moriarty  came  with  the  chicken  and 
ham  and  coffee. 

"If  ye  would  like,  it  won't  be  a  bit 
of  trouble  to  show  ye  George  Washing 
ton's  room;  or" — with  inimitable  Irish 
drollery — "  I  can  tell  ye  that  he  dined  in 
this  very  room." 

"That  will  serve,"  smiled  the  girl; 
and  Moriarty  bowed  himself  out. 

His  departure  was  followed  by  the 
clatter  of  silver  upon  porcelain.  Of  a 
truth,  both  of  us  were  hungry. 

"I  was  simply  ravenous,"  the  girl 
confessed. 

"And  as  for  me,  I  never  dreamt  I 
could  be  so  unromantic.  Now,"  said  I, 
pushing  aside  my  plate,  and  dropping 
sugar  into  my  coffee,  and  vainly  hunt- 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

ing  in  my  pockets  for  a  cigar,  "there 
remains  only  one  mystery  to  be  cleared 
up." 

"And  what  might  this  mystery  be?" 
she  asked.  "The  whereabouts  of  the 
bogus  Haggerty?" 

"The  bogus  Haggerty  will  never 
cross  our  paths  again.  He  has  skipped 
by  the  light  of  the  moon.  No,  that's 
not  the  mystery.  Why  did  you  tell  me 
you  were  an  impostor;  why  did  you  go 
to  the  cellars  with  me,  when  all  the 
while  you  were  at  the  ball  on  Mrs. 
Hyphen-Bonds'  invitation?" 

She  leaned  on  her  elbows  and  smiled 
at  me  humorously. 

"Would  you  really  like  to  know, 
Signer?  Well,  I  was  an  impostor."  She 
sat  with  her  back  to  the  fire,  and  a  weird 
halo  of  light  seemed  to  surround  her 
and  frame  her.  "Mrs.  Hyphen-Bonds 

'59 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

accidentally  dropped  that  invitation  in 
my  studio,  a  few  days  before  she  sailed 
for  Europe.  I  simply  could  not  resist 
the  temptation.  That  is  all  the  mystery 
there  is." 

"And  they  still  think  you  were  there 
rightfully!" 

"You  are  no  longer  mystified?" 
"Yes;  there  is  yet  another  mystery 
to  solve:  myself."  I  knew  it.  Without 
rhyme  or  reason,  I  was  in  love;  and 
without  rhyme  or  reason,  I  was  glad  of 
it. 

"Shall  you  ever  be  able  to  solve  such 
a  mystery?" — quizzically. 
"It  all  depends  upon  you." 
"Mr.   Cornstalk,  you  will  not  mar 
the  exquisite  humor  of  our  adventure 
by  causing  me  any  annoyance.    I  am  sure 
that  some  day  we  shall  be  very  good 
friends.    But  one  does  not  talk  of  love 
j6o 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

on  eight  hours'  acquaintance.  Besides, 
you  would  be  taking  advantage  of  my 
helplessness;  for  I  really  depend  upon 
you  to  see  me  safe  back  to  New  York. 
It  is  only  the  romance,  the  adventure; 
and  such  moonlight  nights  often  super 
induce  sentimentality.  What  do  you 
know  of  me?  Nothing.  What  do  I 
know  of  you?  Nothing,  save  that  there 
is  a  kindred  spirit  which  is  always  likely 
to  lead  us  into  trouble.  Down  in  your 
heart  you  know  you  are  only  tempo 
rarily  affected  by  moonshine.  Come, 
make  me  a  toast!" — lifting  her  cup. 

"You  are  right,"  said  I.  "I  am  a 
gentleman.  But  it  was  only  consistent 
that,  having  been  the  fool,  I  should  now 
play  the  ass.  Here's!" — and  I  held  up 
my  cup. 

But  neither  of  us  drank;  there  wasn't 
time. 

161 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

For  the  door  opened  quietly,  and  in 
walked  the  two  men  we  had  seen  upon 
entering  the  Inn.  One  of  them  gently 
closed  the  door  and  locked  it.  One  was 
in  soiled  every-day  clothes,  the  other  in 
immaculate  evening  dress.  The  latter 
doffed  his  opera  hat  with  the  most  en 
gaging  smile  imaginable.  The  girl  and 
I  looked  up  at  him  in  blank  bewilder 
ment,  and  set  our  cups  down  so  mechan 
ically  that  the  warm  amber  liquid 
spattered  on  the  table-cloth. 

Galloping  Dick  and  the  affable  in 
spector  of  the  cellars  stood  before  us! 


162 


VIII 

"^  •    ^\HE  unexpected  always  hap- 

;|       pens,"  began   the  pseudo-de- 

"*•     tective,  closing  his  hat,  drawing 

off  his  gloves  and  stuffing  them  into  a 

pocket.    "As  a  friend  of  mine  used  to 

say,  it  is  the  unexpected  that  always 

surprises  us.    We  never  expected  to  see 

these  charming  masqueraders  again,  did 

we,  William?" 

"No,  sir,"  said  William,  grinning  af 
fably,  "we  didn't.    The  gentleman  was 
very  nice  and  obliging  to  me,  sir,  when 
I  was  in  the  cellars." 
163 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"So  I  understand.  Now,"  continued 
the  late  Mr.  Haggerty,  with  the  deadly 
affability  of  a  Macaire,  "I  beg  of  you, 
Mr.  Cornstalk,  I  beg  of  you  not  to  move 
or  to  become  unduly  excited.  Physic 
ians  tell  us  that  excitement  wastes  the  red 
corpuscles,  that  is  to  say,  the  life  of  the 
blood." 

"Your  blood,  sir,  must  be  very  thin," 
I  returned  coolly.  But  I  cursed  him 
soundly  in  my  mind.  William's  bulg 
ing  side-pocket  convinced  me  that  any 
undue  excitement  on  my  part  would  be 
exceedingly  dangerous. 

"William,  you  can  always  tell  a 
gentleman,"  said  the  chief  rogue  admir 
ingly.  "A  gentleman  always  recognizes 
his  opportunities,  and  never  loses  his 
sense  of  the  balance  of  things." 

"And  he  is  usually  witty,  too,  sir," 
William  assented. 

164 


The  girl  sat  pale  and  rigid  in  he^ 
chair. 

"What  do  you  want?"  I  demanded 
savagely. 

"  For  one  thing,  I  should  like  to  ques 
tion  the  propriety  of  a  gentleman's  sitting 
down  to  dine  with  a  lady  without  hav 
ing  washed  his  face.  The  coal-dust  does 
not  add  to  your  manly  beauty.  You 
haven't  a  cake  of  soap  about  you, 
William,  have  you?" 

"No,  sir."  William's  face  expressed 
indescribable  enjoyment  of  the  scene. 

The  girl's  mouth  stiffened.  She  was 
struggling  to  repress  the  almost  irresist 
ible  smile  that  tickled  her  lips. 

"In  times  like  these,"  said  I,  deter 
mined  not  to  be  outdone,  "we  are  oftets. 
thoughtless  in  regard  to  our  personal 
appearances.  I  apologize  to  the  lady." 

"Fine,  fine!    I  sincerely  admire  you, 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

Mr.  Cornstalk.  You  have  the  true  spirit 
of  adventure.  Hasn't  he,  William?" 

"He  certainly  has,  sir." 

"Comes  to  a  private  ball  without  an 
invitation,  and  has  a  merry  time  of  it 
indeed.  To  have  the  perfect  sense  of 
humor — that  is  what  makes  the  world 
go  round." 

"Aren't  you  taking  extra  risk  in  of 
fering  me  these  pleasantries?"  I  asked. 

"Risks?    In  what  manner?" 

"The  man  you  so  cleverly  imperson 
ated  is  at  the  club."  I  do  not  know 
what  prompted  me  to  put  him  on  his 
guard. 

The  rogue  laughed  lightly.  "I  know 
Mr.  Haggerty's  habits.  He  is  hustling 
back  to  New  York  as  fast  as  he  can. 
He  passed  here  ten  minutes  ago  in  the 
patrol,  lickety-clip !  He  wishes  to  warn 
all  pawnbrokers  and  jewelers  to  be  on 
166 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

the  lookout  for  me  to-morrow.     Ten 
thousand  in  a  night!" — jovially. 

"A  very  tidy  sum,  sir,"  said  William. 

"A  fourth  of  which  goes  to  you,  my 
good  and  faithful  friend." 

"Thank   you,  sir,"  replied  William. 

Two  cooler  rogues  I  never  wish  to 
meet! 

"But  wouldn't  it  be  well,  sir,  to 
hasten?"  asked  William. 

"We  have  plenty  of  time  now,  my 
son." 

"You  have  not  entered  this  room," 
said  the  girl,  her  terror  slipping  from 
her,  "simply  to  offer  these  banalities. 
What  do  you  wish?" 

"What  perspicacity,  William!"  cried 
the  rogue,  taking  out  a  cigarette  case. 

"I  don't  know  what  that  word  means, 
sir,  but  as  you  do,  it  seems  to  fit  the  oc 
casion  proper  enough." 
167 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

"It  means,  William,  that  this  charm 
ing  young  lady  scents  our  visit  from 
afar." 

"I  had  a  suspicion,  sir,  that  it  might 
mean  that."  William  leaned  against 
the  wall,  his  beady  eyes  twinkling  mer 
rily. 

The  master  rogue  lighted  a  cigarette 
at  one  of  the  candles. 

"Pardon  me,"  he  said,  "but  will  you 
join  me?" — proffering  the  handsome 
gold  case. 

I  took  a  cigarette  and  fired  it.  (I 
really  wanted  it.)  I  would  show  up  well 
before  this  girl  if  I  died  for  it.  I  blew 
a  cloud  of  smoke  at  the  candle-flame. 
There  was  a  sparkle  of  admiration  in 
the  girl's  eyes. 

"Mr.  Cornstalk,  my  respect  for  you 
increases  each  moment."  The  rogue 
sat  down. 

168 


"And  to  whom  might  this  handsome 
case  belong?"  I  asked,  examining  it 
closely. 

"Oh,  that  has  always  been  mine. 
There  was  a  time," — blowing  rings  at 
the  candelabrum, — "when  I  was  respect 
ed  like  yourself,  rich,  sought  after.  A 
woman  and  a  trusted  friend:  how  these 
often  tumble  down  our  beautiful  edi 
fices  !  Yes,  I  am  a  scamp,  a  thief,  a  rogue; 
but  not  because  I  need  the  money.  No," 
— with  retrospective  eyes — "I  need  ex 
citement,  tremendous  and  continuous, — 
excitement  to  keep  my  vigilance  and  in 
vention  active  day  and  night,  excitement 
to  obliterate  memory. 

"But  we  can't  do  it,  my  friend,  we 
can't  do  it.  Memory  is  always  with 
us.  She  is  an  impartial  Nemesis;  she 
dogs  the  steps  of  the  righteous  and  the 
unrighteous.  To  obliterate  memory, 
169 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

that  is  it!  And  where  might  I  find 
this  obliteration,  save  in  this  life? 
Drugs?  Pah!  Oh,  I  have  given  Hag- 
gerty  a  royal  chase.  It  has  been  meat 
and  drink  to  me  to  fool  the  cleverest 
policeman  in  New  York.  Till  yesterday 
my  face,  as  a  criminal,  was  unknown  to 
any  man  or  woman,  save  William  here, 
who  was  my  valet  in  the  old  days.  I 
have  gone  to  my  clubs,  dined,  played 
billiards;  a  fine  comedy,  a  fine  comedy! 
To-morrow  William  and  I  sail  for  Eu 
rope.  Miss  Hawthorne,  you  wear  one 
of  the  most  exquisite  rubies  I  have  ever 
seen.  Permit  me  to  examine  it." 

The  girl  tore  the  ring  from  her  fin 
ger  and  flung  it  on  the  table.  I  made  a 
move  as  though  to  push  back  my  chair. 

"I  wouldn't  do  it,  sir,"  warned  Wil 
liam  quietly. 

My  muscles  relaxed. 
170 


"Do  not  commit  any  rash  action,  Mr. 
Cornstalk,"  said  the  girl,  smiling  bravely 
into  my  eyes.  "This  gentleman  would 
not  appreciate  it." 

The  master  rogue  picked  up  the  ring 
and  rolled  it  lovingly  about  his  palms. 

"Beautiful,  beautiful!"  he  murmured. 
"Finest  pigeon-blood,  too.  It  is  easily 
worth  a  thousand.  Shall  I  give  you  my 
note  of  exchange  for  it?" — humorously. 
The  girl  scorned  to  reply.  He  took  out 
a  little  chamois  bag  and  emptied  its 
contents  on  the  table.  How  they 
sparkled,  scintillated,  glowed;  thousands 
in  the  whitest  of  stones!  How  he  ever 
had  got  his  fingers  on  them  is  some 
thing  I  shall  never  learn.  "Aren't  they 
just  beautiful?"  he  asked  naively.  "Can 
you  blame  me  for  coveting  them?"  He 
set  the  ruby  on  top  of  the  glittering 
heap.  It  lay  there  like  a  drop  of  blood. 

171 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

Presently  he  caught  it  up  and — pre 
sented  it  to  the  girl,  who  eyed  him  in 
astonishment.  "I  only  wanted  to  look 
at  it,"  he  said  courteously.  "I  like  your 
grit  as  much  as  I  admire  your  beauty. 
Keep  the  ring." 

She  slipped  it  mechanically  over  her 
finger. 

"But  you,  my  dear  Mr.  Cornstalk!" 
he  cried,  turning  his  shining  eyes  upon 
me,  while  his  fingers  deftly  replaced 
the  gems  in  the  bag. 

"I  have  no  jewelry,"  I  replied,  tossing 
aside  the  cigarette. 

"But  you  have  something  infinitely 
better.  I  am  rather  observant.  In 
Friard's  curio-shop  you  carelessly  ex 
hibited  a  wallet  that  was  simply  choking 
to  death  with  long  yellow-boys.  You 
have  it  still.  Will  you  do  me  the  hon 
or?" — stretching  out  his  slim  white  hand. 
172 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

I  looked  at  William;  he  nodded. 
There  wasn't  the  slightest  chance  for  me 
to  argue.  So  I  drew  out  my  wallet.  I 
extracted  the  gold-bills  and  made  a  neat 
little  packet  of  them.  It  hurt,  hurt  like 
the  deuce,  to  part  with  them.  But — ! 

"  Game,  William,  isn't  he ?  Most  men 
would  have  flung  the  wallet  at  my 
head."  , 

"Oh,  he  is  game,  sir;  never  you  doubt 
it,  sir,"  said  the  amiable  William. 

"I  have  some  silver  in  change,"  I 
suggested  with  some  bitterness. 

"Far  be  it  that  I  should  touch  silver," 
he  said  generously,  did  this  rogue. 
"Besides,  you  will  need  something  to 
pay  for  this  little  supper  and  the  fare 
back  to  New  York."  My  bills  disap 
peared  into  his  pocket.  "You  will 
observe  that  I  trust  you  implicitly.  I 
haven't  even  counted  the  money." 


Hearts   arfo  Masks 

William  sniggered. 

"And  is  there  anything  further?'*  I 
inquired.  The  comedy  was  beginning 
to  weary  me,  it  was  so  one-sided. 

"I  am  in  no  particular  hurry,"  the 
rogue  answered,  his  sardonic  smile  re 
turning.  "It  is  so  long  since  I  have 
chatted  with  people  of  my  kind." 

I  scowled. 

"Pardon  me,  I  meant  from  a  social 
point  of  view  only.  I  admit  we  would 
not  be  equals  in  the  eye  of  the  Pres 
byter." 

And  then  followed  a  scene  that  re 
minds  me  to  this  day  of  some  broken, 
fantastic  dream,  a  fragment  from  some 
bewildering  nightmare. 


'74 


IX 

FOR  suddenly  I  saw  his  eyes  widen 
and  flash  with  anger  and  appre 
hension.  Quick  as  a  passing  sun- 
shadow,  his  hand  swept  the  candelabrum 
from  the  table.  He  made  a  swift  back 
ward  spring  toward  the  door,  but  he  was 
a  little  too  late.  The  darkness  he  had 
created  was  not  intense  enough,  for  there 
was  still  the  ruddy  glow  from  the  logs; 
and  the  bosom  of  his  dress-shirt  made  a 
fine  target.  Besides,  the  eyes  that  had 
peered  into  the  window  were  accus 
tomed  to  the  night. 

17S 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

Blang!  The  glass  of  the  window 
shivered  and  jingled  to  the  floor, 
and  a  sharp  report  followed.  The 
rogue  cried  out  in  fierce  anguish, 
and  reeled  against  the  wall.  William 
whipped  out  his  revolver,  but,  even  from 
his  favorable  angle,  he  was  not  quick 
enough.  The  hand  that  had  directed  the 
first  bullet  was  ready  to  direct  the  second. 

All  this  took  place  within  the  count 
of  ten.  The  girl  and  I  sat  stiffly  in  our 
chairs,  as  if  petrified,  it  was  all  so  swiftly 
accomplished. 

"Drop  it!"  said  a  cold,  authoritative 
voice,  and  I  saw  the  vague  outlines  of 
Haggerty's  face  beyond  the  broken  win 
dow-pane. 

William  knew  better  than  to  hesitate. 

His  revolver  struck  the  floor  dully,  and 

a  curse  rolled  from  his  lips.  Immediately 

a  heavy  body  precipitated  itself  against 

176 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

the  door,  which  crashed  inward,  and  an 
officer  fearlessly  entered,  a  revolver  in 
each  hand.  This  tableau,  which  lasted 
fully  a  minute,  was  finally  disturbed  by 
the  entrance  of  Haggerty  himself. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  Miss,"  he  said 
heartily;  "it's  all  over.  I'm  sorry  for  the 
bullet,  but  it  had  to  be  done.  The  ras 
cal  has  nothing  more  serious  than  a  splin 
tered  bone.  I  am  a  dead  shot.  A  fine 
night!" — triumphantly.  "It's  been  a  long 
chase,  and  I  never  was  sure  of  the  fin 
ish.  You're  the  cleverest  rogue  it  has 
been  my  good  fortune  to  meet  this  many 
a  day.  I  don't  even  know  who  you  are 
yet.  Well,  well!  we'll  round  that  up  in 
time." 

Not  till  the  candles  again  sputtered 

with  light,  and  William  was  securely 

handcuffed  and  disarmed,  did  I  recollect 

that  I  possessed  the  sense  of  motion. 

177 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

The  smoke  of  powder  drifted  across 
the  flickering  candles,  and  there  was  a 
salty  taste  on  my  tongue. 

"Horrible!"  cried  the  girl,  covering 
her  eyes. 

The  master  rogue  and  his  valet  were 
led  out  into  the  assembly-room,  and  we 
reluctantly  followed.  I  saw  it  all  now. 
When  Haggerty  called  up  central  at 
the  club,  he  ascertained  where  the  last 
call  had  been  from,  and,  learning  that 
it  came  from  Hollywood  Inn,  he  took 
his  chance.  The  room  was  soon  filled 
with  servants  and  stable-hands,  the  pistol- 
shot  having  lured  them  from  their  beds. 
The  wounded  man  was  very  pale.  He 
sat  with  his  uninjured  hand  tightly 
clasped  above  the  ragged  wound,  and  a 
little  pool  of  blood  slowly  formed  at  his 
side  on  the  floor.  But  his  eyes  shone 
brightly. 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"A  basin  of  water  and  some  linen!" 
cried  the  girl  to  Moriarty.  "And  send 
all  these  people  away." 

"To  yer  rooms,  ivery  one  of  ye!" 
snapped  Moriarty,  sweeping  his  hands. 
"'Tis  no  place  for  ye,  be  off!"  He 
hurried  the  servants  out  of  the  room, 
and  presently  returned  with  a  basin  of 
water,  some  linen  and  balm. 

We  watched  the  girl  as  she  bathed 
and  bandaged  the  wounded  arm;  and 
once  or  twice  the  patient  smiled.  Hag- 
gerty  looked  on  approvingly,  and  in 
William's  eyes  there  beamed  the  gentle 
light  of  reverence.  It  was  a  picture  to 
see  this  lovely  creature  playing  the  part 
of  the  good  Samaritan,  moving  here 
and  there  in  her  exquisite  gown.  Ah, 
the  tender  mercy!  I  knew  that,  come 
what  might,  I  had  strangely  found  the 
right  woman,  the  one  woman. 
179 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"You're  a  good  little  woman,"  said 
the  rogue,  his  face  softening;  "and  a 
good  woman  is  the  finest  thing  God 
ever  placed  upon  earth.  Had  I  only 
found  one!"  He  turned  whimsically 
toward  me.  "Are  you  engaged  to  marry 
this  little  woman?" 

"No." 

"Surely  you  love  her!" 

"Surely  I  do!"  I  looked  bravely  at 
the  girl  as  I  spoke. 

But  she  never  gave  any  sign  that  she 
heard.  She  pinned  the  ends  of  the 
bandages  carefully. 

"And  what  brought  you  to  this?" 
asked  Haggerty,  looking  down  at  his 
prisoner. 

The  prisoner  shrugged. 

"You've  the  making  of  a  fine  man  in 
you,"  went  on   Haggerty  generously. 
"What  caused  you  to  slip  up?" 
1 80 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"That  subject  is  taboo,"  replied  the 
thief.  "But  I  want  to  beg  your  pardon 
for  underestimating  your  cunning." 

"It  was  all  due  to  a  chance  shot  at 
the  telephone." 

"I  kept  you  guessing." 

"Merrily,  too.  My  admiration  is 
wholly  yours,  sir,"  returned  Haggerty, 
picking  up  the  telephone  exchange- 
book.  He  rang  and  placed  his  lips  to 
the  transmitter,  calling  a  number. 
"Hello!  Is  this  the  chief  of  the  Blank- 
shire  police?  Yes?  Well,  this  is  Hag 
gerty.  That  idea  I  hinted  to  you  was 
a  mighty  good  one.  Prepare  two  strong 
cells  and  have  a  doctor  on  hand.  What? 
Oh,  you  will  find  your  horse  and  car 
riage  at  Moriarty's.  Good-by!" 

My  money  was  handed  over  to  me. 
I  returned  it  to  my  wallet,  but  without 
any  particular  enthusiasm. 
181 


Hearts  ana  Masks 

"It's  a  bad  business,  William,"  said  I. 

"It's  all  in  the  game,  sir," — with  a 
look  at  Haggerty  that  expressed  infinite 
hatred.  "In  our  business  we  can't 
iffbrd  to  be  careless." 

"Or  to  talk  too  much,"  supplemented 
his  master,  smiling.  "Talk,  my  friend, 
rounds  me  up  with  a  bullet  in  the  arm, 
.  and  a  long  sojourn  behind  stone  walls. 
Never  talk.  Thank  you,  Miss  Haw 
thorne,  and  you,  too,  Mr.  Cornstalk,  for 
the  saving  grace  of  humor.  If  it  were 
possible,  I  should  like  to  give  Miss 
Hawthorne  the  pick  of  the  jewels.  This 
is  a  sordid  world." 

"Ye'er  car-r  is  coming!"  shouted 
Moriarty,  running  to  the  window. 

So  the  girl  and  I  passed  out  of  Holly 
wood  Inn,  leaving  Haggerty  with  his 
mysterious  prisoners.  I  can't  reason  it 
out,  even  to  this  day,  but  I  was  genuinely 

182 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

sorry  that  Haggerty  had  arrived  upon 
the  scene.  For  one  thing,  he  had  spoiled 
the  glamour  of  the  adventure  by  tinge- 
ing  it  with  blood.  And  on  the  way  to 
the  car  I  wondered  what  had  been  the 
rogue's  past,  what  had  turned  him  into 
this  hardy,  perilous  path.  He  had  spoken 
of  a  woman;  perhaps  that  was  it.  They 
are  always  behind  good  actions  and  bad. 
Heigh-ho! 

Once  we  were  seated  in  the  lonely 
car,  the  girl  broke  down  and  cried  as  if 
her  heart  would  break.  It  was  only  the 
general  reaction,  but  the  sight  of  her 
tears  unnerved  me. 

"Don't  cry,  girl;  don't!"  I  whispered, 
taking  her  hand  in  mine.  She  made  no 
effort  to  repulse  me.  "I  am  sorry.  The 
rascal  was  a  gallant  beggar,  and  I  for 
one  shouldn't  have  been  sorry  to  see  him 
get  away.  There,  there!  You're  the 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

bravest,  tenderest  girl  in  all  this  world; 
and  when  I  told  him  I  loved  you,  God 
knows  I  meant  it!  It  is  one  of  those 
inexplicable  things.  You  say  I  have 
known  you  only  eight  hours?  I  have 
known  you  always,  only  I  had  not  met 
you.  What  are  eight  hours?  What 
is  convention,  formality?  We  two  have 
lived  a  lifetime  in  these  eight  hours. 
Can't  you  see  that  we  have?" 

"To  shoot  a  human  being!"  she 
sobbed.  Her  head  fell  against  my 
shoulder.  I  do  not  believe  she  was 
conscious  of  the  fact.  And  I  did  not 
care  a  hang  for  the  conductor. 

I  patted  her  hand  encouragingly.  "It 
had  to  be  done.  He  was  in  a  desperate 
predicament,  and  he  would  have  shot 
Haggerty  had  the  detective  been  care 
less  in  his  turn;  and  he  wouldn't  have 
aimed  to  maim,  either." 
184 


Hearts   ana  Masks 

"What  a  horrible  night!  It  will 
haunt  me  as  long  as  I  live!" 

I  said  nothing;  and  we  did  not  speak 
again  till  the  first  of  the  Blankshire 
lights  flashed  by  us.  By  this  time  her 
sobs  had  ceased. 

"I  know  /  haven't  done  anything 
especially  gallant  to-night;  no  fighting, 
no  rescuing,  and  all  that.  They  just  moved 
me  around  like  a  piece  of  stage  scenery." 

A  smile  flashed  and  was  gone.  It  was 
a  hopeful  sign. 

"But  the  results  are  the  same.  You 
have  admitted  to  me  that  you  are  neither 
engaged  nor  married.  Won't  you  take 
me  on — on  approval?" 

"Mr.  Cornstalk,  it  all  seems  so  like 
a  horrid  dream.  You  are  a  brave  man, 
and  what  is  better,  a  sensible  one,  for 
you  submitted  to  the  inevitable  with 
the  best  possible  grace.  But  you  talk  of 

185 


Hearts   aria  Masks 

love  as  readily  as  a  hero  in  a  popular 
novel." 

"I  never  go  back,"  said  I.  "It  seems 
incredible,  doesn't  it,  that  I  should  de 
clare  myself  in  this  fashion?  Listen. 
For  my  part,  I  believe  that  all  this  was 
written, — my  Tom-foolery  inMouquin's, 
my  imposture  and  yours,  the  two  iden 
tical  cards, —  the  adventure  from  begin 
ning  to  end." 

Silence. 

"Suppose  I  should  say,"  the  girl  be 
gan,  looking  out  of  the  window,  "that 
in  the  restaurant  you  aroused  my  curi 
osity,  that  in  the  cellars  my  admiration 
was  stirred,  that  the  frank  manner  in 
which  you  expressed  your  regard  for 
me  to — to  the  burglar — awakened — " 

"What?"  I  cried  eagerly. 

"Nothing.  It  was  merely  a  supposi 
tion." 

186 


"Hang  it;  I  do  love  you!" 

"Are  you  still  the  Capuchin,  or  simply 
Mr.  Cornstalk?" 

"I  have  laid  aside  all  masks,  even 
that  which  hides  the  heart." 

She  turned  and  looked  me  steadily  in 
the  eyes. 

"Well?"  said  I. 

"If  I  took  you  on — on  approval, 
what  in  the  world  should  I  do  with 
you  in  case  you  should  not  suit  my 
needs?" 

"You  could  return  me,"  said  I  laugh 
ing. 

But  she  didn't. 


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